First found in Northumberland, where the ancestral home of the Clark family is thought to be located. The family was seated in this county from the days before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Clark arrived in North America very early: Edward Clark and Joe Clark, who both settled in Virginia in 1635; as did Anne Clark in 1663; Henry Clark, who immigrated to Barbados in 1680; Donald Clark and his wife Barbara Grey, who came to Georgia in 1735 with their five children, Hugh Clark, who emigrated from Scotland to Georgia in 1757.

Motto Translated: Fortitude.

For more information on the last name Clark, the PDF Surname History is available for purchase as well as other products.