A Scottish, German and English surname, the Stark name comes from the Middle High German term ‘starke’ which means something strong and brave. From the Middle English term ‘stark’ it refers to a strong and determined person. The spelling variations for Stark include Starke, Sterke, Starchman, Starkie, Starck and Starkey. In most of England the Stark families are across the country. The largest populations are located in Yorkshire, Northumberland, Durham, Lancashire, Essex, Somerset, Devon and Hampshire. In Scotland the Stark family name is all across the country. The greater number of individuals named Stark live in Angus, Fife, Midlothian, Stirlingshire, Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire counties. Within the United States the Stark families started in New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Delaware, Tennessee, Indiana and Ohio. Famous: Johannes Stark (German scientist winning the Nobel Prize in Physics), Ray Stark (movie film producer), Etilmon J. Stark (musician ragtime composer), Christine Stark (champion volleyball player from Canada), Graham Stark (English movie film director, writer and actor), Mary Stark (first female professional tiger tamer and trainer performing in the circus), Zoe Stark (actress from Australia) and Koo Stark (model and actress).