Find out how popular the last name Dark is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dark.

Dark, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dark surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dark in America

Dark is the 12399th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dark surname appeared 2,507 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Dark.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dark to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dark

The surname DARK is believed to have originated in England, likely during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "deorc," which means "dark" or "obscure." This surname was likely given to individuals with a dark complexion or those who lived in a shaded or forested area.

The earliest recorded instances of the DARK surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Derk" and "Derke," reflecting the fluidity of spelling conventions at the time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the DARK surname was William Derk, who lived in Oxfordshire, England, in the late 12th century. Another notable bearer of this name was John Dark, a merchant from Bristol, England, who was born in 1520 and played a significant role in the city's trade with the Americas.

The DARK surname can also be traced to place names, such as the town of Darke, located in Wiltshire, England. This town's name is derived from the Old English word "deorc," indicating that the area was likely heavily forested or shaded.

During the Middle Ages, the DARK surname was also found in various parts of Europe, including Germany and the Netherlands, where it was spelled as "Dunkel" or "Donker," respectively. These variations likely emerged as a result of migration and cultural exchanges.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the DARK surname. One such figure was Sir William Dark (1594-1668), an English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I. Another was Samuel Dark (1722-1801), a British mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the fields of geodesy and navigation.

Other notable bearers of the DARK surname include:

1. Anita Dark (1858-1937), a British suffragette and activist for women's rights.
2. Robert Dark (1887-1952), an Australian soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross for his bravery during World War I.
3. Eleanor Dark (1901-1985), an Australian writer and novelist known for her works exploring the themes of identity and belonging.
4. Martin Dark (1953-present), a British musician and songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the rock band Feeder.
5. Anna Dark (1964-present), a Swedish actress and model who has appeared in various films and television shows.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dark

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dark.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dark was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dark has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dark was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dark, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!