2000
#6,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,731
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.75
Rare Last name
Brooke
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a brook or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,434 Americans carry the last name Brooke. That puts it at #6,827 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,076 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brooke surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Brooke with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,076
Census rank
#6,827
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,739 bearers of the surname Brooke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6827th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brooke, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brooke
The surname BROOKE originated in England and dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period. It derives from the Old English word 'broc', meaning a small stream or brook. The name was likely first adopted by someone who lived near a brook or stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named 'Broc' in Hertfordshire. Over time, the spelling evolved, with variants like 'Broke', 'Brooke', and 'Brook' emerging.
During the Middle Ages, the surname was particularly prevalent in Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire. Notable historical figures with the name include Sir Robert Brooke (c. 1490-1558), an English military commander who served under Henry VIII, and Henry Brooke, 8th Baron Cobham (1564-1619), a renowned Elizabethan courtier and writer.
In the 17th century, the BROOKE family became prominent landowners in Virginia, USA. Major Robert Brooke (c. 1602-1663) was among the earliest settlers in the colony and served as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. His descendants went on to establish the influential Brooke family of Virginia.
Another notable figure was Sir James Brooke (1803-1868), a British explorer and adventurer who became the first White Rajah of Sarawak (now part of Malaysia) in 1841. He played a significant role in suppressing piracy and establishing British influence in the region.
In the literary world, Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) was a celebrated English poet and writer, known for his idealistic war sonnets during World War I. His untimely death from sepsis on a French hospital ship during the Gallipoli Campaign further cemented his status as a national icon.
The BROOKE surname has also been associated with places like Brooke House in Westminster, London, which was built in the 17th century and served as a residence for several prominent individuals, including Lord Brooke and his descendants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brooke
Among Census respondents with the surname Brooke, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Brooke bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Brooke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 4,175
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 215
- Two or more races3.5% · 166
- Black or African American2.4% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brooke
Brooke appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,027
+296 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Down 109 places
2020
#6,827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,739
-288 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,608 | 4,731 | 1.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,717 | 5,027 | 1.70 | +296 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 109 places |
| 2020 | #6,827 | 4,739 | 1.59 | -288 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 110 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Brooke surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,717 | #6,827 | -1.6% |
| Count | 5,027 | 4,739 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.70 | 1.59 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brooke bearers went from 5,027 to 4,739 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,717 to #6,827.
FAQ
Brooke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brooke?
Name Census estimates that about 5,434 living Americans carry the surname Brooke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,076 residents.
How common is Brooke?
Brooke ranks #6,827 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,739 people with the surname Brooke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,434), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Brooke.
Has Brooke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brooke went from 5,027 recorded bearers to 4,739. That is a decrease of 288 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,717 to #6,827.
What does the Census say about the background of Brooke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brooke, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Brooke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (4,175 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brooke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Brooke (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Brooke mean?
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a brook or stream. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Brooke (1.59 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Brooke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.