Wark Surname

76,419th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 6,413 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Scotland

Wark Surname Definition:

Probably from Wark-on-Tweed in Northumberland. John of Werk had a safe conduct into England in 1424 (Bain, IV, 970), Jhone of Wark, tenant of the land of Carndene in 1520, is probably the Jhone of Werk recorded as tenant of the Estyr quarter of Cheddilstoun (Shettleston) in the following year (Rental).

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Wark Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States2,2291:162,61116,548
Canada1,2851:28,6743,774
Australia8461:31,9104,238
Pakistan6021:296,7516,252
Scotland4691:11,4151,542
England3371:165,33515,337
Germany3361:239,60026,292
Afghanistan881:365,3775,342
New Zealand641:70,75510,593
Netherlands421:402,07642,431
South Africa161:3,386,106119,139
Switzerland111:746,62949,719
Papua New Guinea91:905,96994,851
Northern Ireland71:263,57711,625
France61:11,070,454349,096
Israel61:1,426,27275,466
United Arab Emirates61:1,527,04651,993
India51:153,413,076951,030
Russia51:28,824,611530,332
Thailand41:17,659,586685,799
Poland41:9,502,187181,606
Brazil31:71,358,111770,017
Luxembourg31:193,5147,046
Sweden31:3,282,252190,759
Malaysia31:9,831,408269,765
Nigeria21:88,571,379625,098
Belgium21:5,748,322130,559
Wales21:1,547,26639,871
Mexico21:62,063,10283,384
Norway21:2,571,14395,402
Ireland21:2,354,47019,715
Singapore11:5,507,70347,049
Serbia11:7,144,94838,459
Spain11:46,752,036156,870
Czechia11:10,633,469206,023
Morocco11:34,476,099111,471
Tunisia11:610,62630,336
Japan11:127,844,29373,547
China11:1,367,321,56651,149
Uzbekistan11:30,929,14267,786
Finland11:5,496,70284,025
Bahrain11:1,348,60810,432
Iraq11:35,021,65431,813
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland1071:41,4013,746
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Scotland2931:12,7751,512
England701:348,22022,196
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States2971:169,08615,270

Wark (81) may also be a first name.

Wark Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

Probably from Wark-on-Tweed in Northumberland. John of Werk had a safe conduct into England in 1424 (Bain, IV, 970), Jhone of Wark, tenant of the land of Carndene in 1520, is probably the Jhone of Werk recorded as tenant of the Estyr quarter of Cheddilstoun (Shettleston) in the following year (Rental). Robert Wark was declared a fugitive from justice, 1686 (RPC., 3. ser. XIII, p. 19).

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(English) belonging to Wark; or Dweller at or by the Fort or Castle [Middle English werk(e, Old English ge)we(o)rc, a work, fortification] And þæs on Eastron worhte Ælfred cyning lytle werede geweorc æt Æþelinga eigge.

(And afterwards, at Easter, King Ælfred, with a small company, built a fort (work) at Athelney).—A.-Sax. Chron., A.D. 878.

Galfridus de Werk, c. A.D. 1300.—Coldstream Chartulary, p. 42.

At Wark, Carham, Northumb., “are traces of a border castle.”

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(English) One who came from Wark (fort), in Northumberland.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

A parish in Northumberland.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Wark Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Wark Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Wark occurs in The United States more than any other country or territory. It can also occur as a variant:. Click here for further possible spellings of this surname.

How Common Is The Last Name Wark? popularity and diffusion

The last name Wark is the 76,419th most commonly held surname in the world, held by approximately 1 in 1,136,371 people. This last name is primarily found in The Americas, where 53 percent of Wark are found; 52 percent are found in North America and 52 percent are found in Anglo-North America. Wark is also the 1,068,082nd most frequently occurring first name globally, borne by 81 people.

The surname Wark is most widely held in The United States, where it is borne by 2,229 people, or 1 in 162,611. In The United States Wark is most prevalent in: Pennsylvania, where 9 percent reside, Florida, where 8 percent reside and Michigan, where 8 percent reside. Aside from The United States it occurs in 42 countries. It is also common in Canada, where 20 percent reside and Australia, where 13 percent reside.

Wark Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Wark has changed over time. In The United States the number of people carrying the Wark last name expanded 751 percent between 1880 and 2014; in Scotland it expanded 160 percent between 1881 and 2014; in England it expanded 481 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it decreased 98 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Wark Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those carrying the Wark last name is chiefly Presbyterian (55%) in Ireland.

In The United States those holding the Wark last name are 0.87% more likely to be registered with the Democratic Party than The US average, with 52.36% being registered with the political party.

The amount Wark earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 20.38% more than the national average, earning 416,628 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 210.86% more than the national average, earning R 738,720 per year; in United States they earn 5.47% more than the national average, earning $45,509 USD per year and in Canada they earn 3.6% more than the national average, earning $51,472 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Warke892,190/
Warkh8938/
Warck8916/
Wairk893/
Warkk891/
Weark891/
Warkhe802/
Wayrek802/
Waurke801/
Waarke801/
Warksh801/
Warkhd801/
Wahark801/
Waurck800/
Work7523,949/
Werk752,399/
Warg75846/
Vark75158/
Warq7525/
Uark751/
Worke6756,550/
Varke677,228/
Wargh67280/
Werck67188/
Baark6776/
Worck6720/
Warcq6716/
Barkå678/
Wairg674/
Beark674/
Åbark673/
Warqe673/
Huark673/
Weerk672/
Veark672/
Barkė671/
Worrk671/
Baurk671/
Waarg671/
Workx671/
Uarke671/
Vaerk671/
Vaark671/
Woork671/
Workh671/
Workk671/
Whork671/
Bar'k671/
Warqu671/
Warzc671/
Wuerk671/
Warct670/
Wuirk670/
Varck670/

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Wark Reference & Research

Wark FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Wark
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis