Clarkson is a common English surname.

Clarkson
GenderUnisex
Language(s)English
Origin
Language(s)Old English
Word/nameclerc, clerec
Meaning"priest"
Other names
Variant form(s)Clarson[1]

Etymology

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It is derived from a patronymic form of an occupational name. The surname means "son of the clerk",[1] and refers to a scribe or secretary. The surname is derived from the Old English clerc, clerec, which means priest; the Old English words were later reinforced by the Old French form of the word clerc. Both the Old English and Old French words are from the Late Latin clericus, which is derived from the Greek klerikos, which is in turn a derivative of kleros, which means "inheritance", "legacy".[2]

An early instances of the surname in English records is "le Clerkissone", in 1308; "Clerksone", in 1332; and "Clarkson", in 1491.[1]

Persons with the surname

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Fictional characters

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Reaney, Percy Hilde (1995), Wilson, Richard Middlewood (ed.), A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 98, ISBN 0-19-863146-4.
  2. ^ Learn about the family history of your surname, Ancestry.com, retrieved 18 February 2011, which cited: Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4, for the surname "Clarkson".