boys' name ★ peaked 2015

Clark

Meaning clergyman; learned man Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #377 Trend → Stable

From Old English clerc (“clergyman; learned man”), whence also clerk.

Rank 2025
#377
among boys · ↑60 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
855
named Clark · +15% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,041
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2015
883 babies
All-time total
51,205
#507 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Clark popularity over time

51,205 babies have been named Clark since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 513 513 51 – #176
1890s – 505 505 51 -2% #224
1900s – 502 502 50 -1% #230
1910s 7 2,383 2,390 239 +376% #256
1920s 10 2,914 2,924 292 +22% #301
1930s 5 3,763 3,768 377 +29% #240
1940s 16 5,050 5,066 507 +34% #245
1950s 5 6,631 6,636 664 +31% #255
1960s 19 6,140 6,159 616 -7% #268
1970s – 2,534 2,534 253 -59% #418
1980s 15 3,014 3,029 303 +20% #465
1990s 19 2,692 2,711 271 -10% #536
2000s 13 2,742 2,755 276 +2% #632
2010s 125 6,880 7,005 701 +154% #372
2020s (to 2025) 120 4,588 4,708 785 +12% #377

Where Clark is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 833 0.49 #380
2027 830 0.49 #381
2028 828 0.48 #384
2029 826 0.48 #384
2030 824 0.48 #385

Where Clark is most popular

Boys named Clark per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.439 per 1,000. Strongest in Idaho, Utah, and Montana.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Clark born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Idaho 54 1.32 +200%
Utah 124 1.30 +196%
Montana 19 1.08 +145%
Oregon 69 0.909 +107%
District of Columbia 13 0.881 +100%
Maine 17 0.876 +99%
Iowa 54 0.783 +78%
Missouri 106 0.765 +74%
Colorado 97 0.752 +71%
Wisconsin 81 0.684 +56%
Michigan 140 0.684 +56%
Kentucky 68 0.678 +54%
Minnesota 83 0.677 +54%
Indiana 108 0.674 +53%
Washington 109 0.666 +52%
Ohio 173 0.653 +49%
Illinois 162 0.634 +44%
Kansas 41 0.598 +36%
Virginia 107 0.564 +28%
New Hampshire 12 0.540 +23%
Tennessee 96 0.532 +21%
North Carolina 133 0.521 +19%
Oklahoma 46 0.520 +18%
Louisiana 52 0.508 +16%
Massachusetts 67 0.487 +11%
Alabama 52 0.476 +8%
Arkansas 30 0.474 +8%
Georgia 120 0.474 +8%
Maryland 54 0.453 ≈ national
South Carolina 45 0.435 ≈ national
New York 187 0.432 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 112 0.422 ≈ national
Connecticut 27 0.399 -9%
Arizona 64 0.391 -11%
Florida 173 0.365 -17%
Texas 321 0.364 -17%
California 328 0.359 -18%
Rhode Island 5 0.307 -30%
Mississippi 17 0.299 -32%
Nebraska 13 0.299 -32%
North Dakota 5 0.293 -33%
New Jersey 53 0.263 -40%
Nevada 11 0.193 -56%
Alaska – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
New Mexico – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Clark

Clark is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #377 in 2025 with 837 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 51,205 American babies have been named Clark. Its peak came in 2015, when 883 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Clark stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Clark?

The median living Clark is about 38 years old; half are between 10 and 64. An estimated 35 thousand people named Clark are alive in the United States today.

median 38 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Clark year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 18 #6,373 837 #377
2024 20 #5,994 726 #437
2023 17 #6,730 709 #439
2022 16 #7,050 729 #427
2021 26 #4,992 794 #396
2020 23 #5,358 793 #387
2019 22 #5,652 805 #389
2018 21 #5,828 855 #376
2017 20 #6,097 861 #381
2016 16 #7,336 867 #378
2015 15 #7,713 868 #372
2014 7 #13,383 814 #383
2013 12 #9,155 617 #456
2012 – – 473 #551
2011 7 #13,677 385 #619
2010 5 #17,600 335 #695
2009 – – 336 #708
2008 – – 341 #695
2007 7 #14,248 385 #632
2006 – – 323 #692
2005 6 #14,891 245 #792
2004 – – 262 #727
2003 – – 220 #793
2002 – – 211 #809
2001 – – 201 #818
2000 – – 218 #761
1995 – – 285 #607
1990 – – 342 #536
1985 – – 284 #517
1980 – – 261 #533
1975 – – 224 #535
1970 – – 381 #418
1965 – – 624 #300
1960 – – 608 #317
1955 – – 724 #255
1950 – – 624 #262
1945 5 #4,671 424 #289
1940 – – 427 #272
1935 – – 376 #280
1930 5 #4,671 255 #359
1925 – – 272 #358
1920 5 #5,110 308 #333
1915 – – 289 #296
1910 – – 71 #292
1905 – – 48 #287
1900 – – 75 #230
1895 – – 53 #246
1890 – – 51 #233
1885 – – 45 #245
1880 – – 49 #237

Famous people named Clark

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Clark Gable Clark Gable American actor (1901–1960) Contemporary
  2. 2 Clark Gregg Clark Gregg American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1962) Contemporary
  3. 3 Clark Duke Clark Duke American actor (born 1985) Contemporary
  4. 4 Clark Ashton Smith Clark Ashton Smith American author (1893–1961) 19th century
  5. 5 Clark Clifford Clark Clifford American public official (1906–1998) Contemporary
  6. 6 Clark Terry Clark Terry American swing and bebop trumpeter (1920–2015) Contemporary
  7. 7 Clark L. Hull Clark L. Hull American psychologist 1884–1952 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Clark, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Clark?

The median living Clark is about 38 years old. Half of all living Clarks are between 10 and 64 years old.

How many people named Clark are alive today?

An estimated 35 thousand people named Clark are alive in the United States, based on 51,205 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Clark mean?

From Old English clerc (“clergyman; learned man”), whence also clerk.

How popular is the name Clark in 2025?

Clark ranked #377 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 837 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Clark?

51,205 babies have been named Clark in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Clark most popular?

Clark peaked in 2015, when 883 newborns received the name.

Is Clark a boy or girl name?

Clark is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Clark rising or falling?

Clark has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Clark become more popular?

Clark looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 824 boys named Clark in 2030, ranking around #385. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Clark?

Well-known people named Clark include Clark Gable (actor), Clark Gregg (actor), Clark Duke (actor).

Names like Clark

Names that sound and feel close to Clark: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Clark with similar names → More names starting with C →