Origins of the Brooks surname

What does the name Brooks mean?

Brooks is an English surname with roots in Old English. It Derives from the Saxon word 'broc' (stream or brook), and would have been geographical in nature. It would have been given to those who lived at or near a brook or stream and their descendants. It has been found in records dating back to the 1200s, and is assumed to have arisen at around this time.

Alternative variations of the name Brooks

Brooks, Brook, Brooke, Brookes, Bruck

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Delve deeper into the Brooks family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 569North West 988Isle of Man 29Yorkshire 2254East Midlands 1234West Midlands 1119East 1693London 6673South East 2473South West 1254South Wales 581Mid Wales 32West Wales 13North Wales 99Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Brookses lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

50,000 Brooks Travel & migration records
300,000 Brookses found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Brooks

How common is your surname?

112th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Brooks surname. The oldest one dates back to 1538.

Who were Brookses most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Brookses.

What are the most common Brooks first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Brooks family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Brookses

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Brookses in 1921

Dressmaker

1,199

Cotton Weaver

982

Laundress

897

Domestic Servant

769

General Servant Domestic

667

Common male occupations for Brookses in 1921

Agricultural Labourer

1,535

General Labourer

1,276

Coal Miner

1,041

Farm Labourer

868

Farm Hands

647

We found over 590,000 family trees with the Brooks surname

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