Find out how popular the last name Brook is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Brook.

Brook, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Brook surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brook in America

Brook is the 7240th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brook surname appeared 4,607 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Brook.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brook to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Brook

The surname Brook originated in England, deriving from the Old English word 'broc', meaning a small stream or brook. It likely emerged as a topographic name, given to individuals residing near such a geographic feature.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Brook can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'de Broke'. This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone living by a brook.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John de Brook, born around 1260 in Derbyshire, England. He served as a knight during the reign of King Edward I.

In the 14th century, the name was also associated with the village of Brook in Rutland, England. This may have contributed to its widespread adoption as a surname in that region.

Sir Thomas Brook (c.1355-1419) was a prominent figure during the Hundred Years' War, serving as a military commander under King Henry V. He was present at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

During the Tudor period, Sir David Brook (c.1490-1548) was a notable courtier and diplomat, serving under King Henry VIII. He played a role in the events leading up to the English Reformation.

In the 17th century, Robert Brook (1602-1669) was a celebrated Puritan minister and author, known for his work 'The Lives of the Puritans'.

The Brook family also had a strong presence in colonial America, with Thomas Brook (1608-1667) being one of the founders of the town of Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Throughout history, the surname Brook has been spelled in various ways, including Broke, Brooke, and Brookes, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brook

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Brook.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Brook was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Brook has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Brook was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Brook, please contact us.

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