Clarkson (surname)

Clarkson is a common English surname.
Etymology.
It is derived from a patronymic form of an occupational name. The surname means "son of the clerk", and refers to a scribe or secretary. The surname is derived from the Old English "clerc", , 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 , which is in turn a derivative of "kleros", which means "inheritance", "legacy".
An early instances of the surname in English records is "le Clerkissone", in 1308; "Clerksone", in 1332; and "Clarkson", in 1491.