Coat of Arms and Family Crests: English, Irish > Names of the British Isles > C > Clarke
The history of the Clarke name began with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from person who concerned himself with matters of scholarly importance or of religious orders or as a secretary. The surname clarke originally derived from the Latin form "clericus." First found in Kent where they were seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.