People whose surname is Clarke include (see also Clark):
- Alexander R. Clarke, British geodesist, whose 1866 spheroid was the standard Earth spheroid for a very long time
- Sir Arthur C. Clarke (born 1917) is an author and inventor, probably most famous for his science fiction novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, and for inventing and popularizing geostationary communication satellites. He also invented the Clarke's three laws.
- Charles Clarke, British politician, Home Secretary
- Jeremiah Clarke, (1674 - 1707), a British composer, most famous for his Trumpet Voluntary the Prince of Denmark's March
- George Johnson Clarke, Premier of New Brunswick 1914-1917
- Rebecca Clarke (1886–1979) was an English composer known for her chamber string music, particularly for the viola.
- Richard A. Clarke (born 1951) provided national security advice to four U.S. presidents. Clarke was the counter-terrorism adviser on the U.S. National Security Council when the September 11 attacks occurred.
- Stanley Clarke (born 30 June 1951) is a virtuosic American musician known for his work on double bass and bass guitar.
- Stephen Clarke is a British journalist and novelist (A Year in the Merde, 2004).
- Kenneth Clarke is a British politician. He was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1993 until 1997.
- Frank Wigglesworth Clarke, a geochemist