Brooking last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Brooking

A locational surname derived from a place where there was a small stream or brook.

Brooking, 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 Brooking surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brooking in America

Brooking is the 24075th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brooking surname appeared 1,046 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Brooking.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brooking 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.

	2010	2000	Change (%)
Rank	24075	23167	3.84%
Count	1,046	1,028	1.74%
Proportion per 100k	0.35	0.38	-8.22%

The history of the last name Brooking

The surname Brooking originated in England, with its roots traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period, specifically around the 7th to 11th centuries. The name is derived from the Old English words "broc" or "brok," meaning a small stream or brook, and the suffix "-ing," indicating a person's association with a particular place or feature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Brooking surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and property holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared in various spellings, such as "Brokkinges" and "Brokkings," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling during that era.

The Brooking surname is closely tied to several place names in England, particularly those with the prefix "Brook-" or "Brock-." For example, the village of Brooking in Kent and the hamlet of Brooking in Somerset may have been the original locations from which the surname emerged. Additionally, similar place names like Brockington and Brockenhurst in Hampshire could also have contributed to the development of the Brooking surname.

Among the notable individuals who bore the Brooking surname throughout history are:

John Brooking (c. 1460-1538), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.
William Brooking (c. 1580-1649), a Puritan minister and one of the founders of the town of Salem, Massachusetts, in the early days of the American colonies.
Sarah Brooking (1691-1765), an English writer and poet, known for her collection of religious poems titled "Divine Breathings."
Thomas Brooking (1720-1796), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and was awarded the prestigious Naval Gold Medal for his distinguished service.
Edward Brooking (1821-1891), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Connaught Rooms and the Royal College of Music.

While the Brooking surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage, contributing to the rich tapestry of family histories and cultural diversity.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brooking

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

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:

White only
Black only
American Indian and Alaskan Native only
Asian and Pacific Islander only
Hispanic
Two or More Races

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

Race/Ethnicity	Percentage	Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only	88.43%	925
Non-Hispanic Black Only	7.93%	83
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only	(S)%	(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native	(S)%	(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races	1.34%	14
Hispanic Origin	1.34%	14

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 Brooking has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

	2010	2000	Change (%)
White	88.43%	87.26%	1.33%
Black	7.93%	9.73%	-20.39%
Asian and Pacific Islander	(S)%	(S)%	(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	(S)%	0.49%	(S)%
Two or More Races	1.34%	2.04%	-41.42%
Hispanic	1.34%	(S)%	(S)%

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 Brooking was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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