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

Brooks, 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 Brooks surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brooks in America

Brooks is the 82nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brooks surname appeared 251,663 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 85 people would have the surname Brooks.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brooks 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 Brooks

The surname Brooks originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "broc," meaning a small stream or brook. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a brook or a stream.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, the name is recorded as "de la Broc." This early spelling indicates that the name originally referred to a place name or a location near a brook.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Brooks is found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk from 1166, where it is spelled "Broc." The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer.

The name Brooks has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Brooksby in Leicestershire, Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, and Brookland in Kent. These place names further reinforce the connection between the surname and the geographical feature of a brook.

Notable individuals with the surname Brooks throughout history include:

1. John Brooks (1752-1825), an American Revolutionary War soldier and the eighth Governor of Massachusetts.
2. Maria Gowen Brooks (1794-1845), an American writer and educator who established one of the first literary periodicals for women in the United States.
3. Phillips Brooks (1835-1893), an American Episcopal clergyman and author, best known for writing the Christmas carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem."
4. Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000), an American poet and the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1950.
5. Mel Brooks (born 1926), an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker, known for his satirical comedies such as "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein."

The surname Brooks has a rich history rooted in the English landscape and has been carried by individuals across various fields, including literature, politics, and the arts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brooks

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

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

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

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