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

Wark, 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 Wark surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wark in America

Wark is the 16349th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wark surname appeared 1,762 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 Wark.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wark 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 Wark

The surname Wark is of Scottish origin, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "wærc," meaning "a fortified place" or "enclosure." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a fortified settlement or enclosure.

The Wark surname is particularly concentrated in the Scottish Borders region, including areas like Roxburghshire and Berwickshire. This is where some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found. For example, a charter from the reign of King William the Lion (1165-1214) mentions a landowner named William de Wark.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners and tenants in England compiled by order of William the Conqueror, there are several references to places with similar names, such as "Werc" and "Werche." While these may not directly relate to the Wark surname, they provide evidence of the word's existence in early medieval times.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Wark surname was Sir William de Wark, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Sir William Wallace during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Another notable bearer of the name was John Wark, a 15th-century Scottish merchant and burgess of Edinburgh, who served as the city's provost in 1455.

In the 16th century, a branch of the Wark family settled in Northumberland, England, where they became prominent landowners. Sir Walter Wark (1565-1634) was a Member of Parliament for Morpeth and a respected figure in the region.

During the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century, a prominent Protestant reformer named John Wark played a significant role in the spread of Protestantism in Scotland. He was a close associate of John Knox and participated in the famous Protestant riots of 1559.

In more recent times, one of the most well-known bearers of the Wark surname was Gordon Wark (1903-1982), a Scottish footballer who played for Glasgow Rangers and the Scottish national team in the 1920s and 1930s.

Overall, the Wark surname has a long and rich history, with its roots firmly planted in the Scottish Borders region. While it may have originally referred to those living near fortified enclosures, the name has since been carried by notable figures from various walks of life, including knights, merchants, politicians, and even a renowned footballer.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wark

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

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 Wark 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 Wark 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 Wark was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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