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Lark History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Lark History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Lark has a history dating as far back as the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name for a person who can sing beautifully like a lark. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character.

Early Origins of the Lark family

The surname Lark was first found in Norfolk, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Lark family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lark research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1275, 1332, 1490, 1520, 1529, 1544, 1584 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Lark History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lark Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Lark have been found, including Lark, Larke, Larks, Laurk, Lauerk, Larkie, Larkey and others.

Early Notables of the Lark family

Distinguished members of the family include

Ralph Larke, a prominent 13th century landholder in Norfolk
Joan Larke (c.1490-after 1529), English mistress of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, and the mother of his two illegitimate children

Lark Ranking

In the United States, the name Lark is the 6,638^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Lark migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Lark, or a variant listed above:

Lark Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mark Lark, aged 35, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1850 2
John Lark, aged 17, who arrived in New York in 1854 2

Lark migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Lark Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Lark, English convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emperor Alexander"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
Alfred Lark, aged 24, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Telegraph"
Miss Grace Lark, (b. 1836), aged 19, Cornish domestic servant departing from Plymouth on 27th September 1854 aboard the ship "Birmingham" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 6th January 1855 4
Miss Phillipi Lark, (b. 1835), aged 20, Cornish domestic servant departing from Plymouth on 27th September 1854 aboard the ship "Birmingham" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 6th January 1855 4

Lark migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Lark Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Lark, aged 34, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Westminster" in 1843
Miss Gertrude Lark, (b. 1866), aged 9, Cornish settler departing on 4th December 1875 aboard the ship "Rangitiki" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 16th February 1876 5
Mr. Harry Lark, (b. 1870), aged 5, Cornish settler departing on 4th December 1875 aboard the ship "Rangitiki" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 16th February 1876 5
Mrs. Mary M. Lark, (b. 1844), aged 31, Cornish settler departing on 4th December 1875 aboard the ship "Rangitiki" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 16th February 1876 5
Mr. William Lark, (b. 1837), aged 38, Cornish mason departing on 4th December 1875 aboard the ship "Rangitiki" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 16th February 1876 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lark (post 1700) +

Tobi Lark (b. 1941), American-born Canadian soul and gospel singer
Michael Lark, American comics artist for DC Comics' Batman, Terminal City, Gotham Central and for Marvel's The Pulse and Captain America
Maria Lark (b. 1997), Russian-American television actress
James W. "Jim" Lark III, Ph. D., American professor of systems engineering and applied mathematics at the University of Virginia
Hoyt Webb Lark (1893-1971), American politician, Republican State Senator and Mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island (1945-1953)
Sarah Lark (b. 1983), Welsh singer and actress
Frank Edwin Lark (1887-1946), New Zealand politician, Member of the Legislative Council (1936-1946)
Lark Fox, American politician, Member of North Carolina House of Commons from Franklin County, 1822-24 6

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emperor-alexander
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html