Contents [hide]

Clerk History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Clerk History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France-Alt
France
Scotland
Ireland

Although the Clerk surname has long been born in Scotland, the name itself is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It is derived from the Old English "clerec," which is itself derived from the Latin "clericus," meaning "priest." The term "clerec" originally denoted a member of a religious order; however, as these were the only people who were taught to read and write, the term eventually came to refer to any literate man. 1

Thus, the name Clerk may have originally referred to a scholar, a scribe, a secretary, or a member of a religious order. The name in Gaelic was Mac a' Chleirich. Even today, the word and profession "clerk" is typically pronounced "clark" throughout the United Kingdom.

Early Origins of the Clerk family

The surname Clerk was first found in the counties on both sides of the border between England and Scotland. Early Scottish records show Roger Clericus held a land between 1174 in Kelso, Thomas Clericus was one of those appointed in 1246 to determine the right marches of Wester Fedale and James the clerk was witness to a charter by Richard de Bancori of land in Dumfriesshire in 1249. A few years later, "nine persons named 'le clerk,' rendered homage for their possessions, 1296." 1

The Clarks were not a full-fledged clan; rather they were probably a sept of the ecclesiastic Clan MacPherson, although the Camerons also show a tie with the Clarks and Clarksons. Even though Clerk or Clark was primarily a name given to those of a specific occupation, the Celtic Church of the north would undoubtedly have assumed an order that was very clan-like.

The Clarks would also have been amongst the most educated and wise people to have lived in Scotland, and as conveyors of the Christian faith their power and authority would have often matched that of chiefs. The Feudal System initiated by Ceanmore in southern Scotland, was more fully implemented by the Norman King David I, who often made abbots as powerful as Chiefs, granting them extensive tracts of land and power. Clarks, then, would have certainly held a special role of authority as individuals, if not as a clan.

Early History of the Clerk family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clerk research. Another 138 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1406, 1599, 1675, 1683, 1729, 1770, 1775, 1838, 1859 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Clerk History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clerk Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Clark, Clerk and others.

Early Notables of the Clerk family

Notable amongst bearers of this family name during their early history was Richard Clark of Montrose, who became vice-admiral of Sweden in the 17th century; Sir James Clark, a physician to the King; Samuel Clarke (1599-1683), an English clergyman and significant Puritan biographer; Samuel Clarke...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Clerk Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clerk Ranking

In the United States, the name Clerk is the 16,999^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Clerk family to Ireland

Some of the Clerk family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 82 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clerk migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Clerk Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. John Clerk, (Clark) aged 19, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 aboard the ship "Bonaventure" coming via St. Domingo 3
Robert Clerk, who arrived in Maryland in 1637 4
Eleanor Clerk, who arrived in Maryland in 1641 4
John Clerk, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 4
Tho Clerk, who landed in Virginia in 1654 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clerk Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Clerk, who landed in Virginia in 1701 4
Eliza Clerk, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 4
Benja Clerk, who landed in Virginia in 1701 4
Jane Clerk, who landed in Virginia in 1703 4
Edward Clerk, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clerk Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Margaret Clerk, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 4
Ann Clerk, aged 5, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 4

Clerk migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Clerk Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Clerk, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. James Clerk U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 5

Clerk migration to Australia +

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

Clerk Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Clerk, English convict who was convicted in Newington, London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the ""Blenheim"" on 24th July 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island, Australia 6

Clerk 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:

Clerk Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Alexander Clerk, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Dinapore" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th August 1857 7
Mr. David Clerk, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1860 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Clerk (post 1700) +

J. A. Clerk, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1916 9
John Clerk of Eldin (1728-1812), Scottish author of an essay on naval tactics, seventh son of Sir John Clerk of Penicuik, educated at the grammar school of Dalkeith 10
Sir George Clerk (1787-1867), Scottish statesman, elder son of James Clerk, by his wife, Janet, daughter of George Irving of Newton, Lanarkshire, and grandson of Sir George Clerk Maxwell 10
Sir Dugald Clerk (1854-1932), Scottish engineer
John Clerk (1757-1832), Lord Eldin, Scotch judge, the eldest son of John Clerk of Eldin 10
James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), Scottish physicist

The Clerk Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: In Deo speravi
Motto Translation: In God have I trusted.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020