UK name, mostly boys
Brooklyn
From an English surname originating from the Dutch town meaning "shattered land".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Also recorded as a girls' name in the UK, with 1,525 girls.
Brooklyn is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Brooklyn popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #602, with 63 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2008, with 203 births.
This profile covers 3,086 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1997 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 31% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 3,419 living people in the UK are called Brooklyn. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Brooklyn ranked #602 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 63 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2008, when 203 boys were registered as Brooklyn.
- • Brooklyn ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #339 in 2024.
- • Brooklyn is also recorded for girls, but the boys side is the larger UK variant in these records.
- • About 3,419 living people in the UK are estimated to have Brooklyn as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 66.9% of Brooklyn registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#602
2024
Births in 2024
63
Latest year
Peak year
2008
203 births
Estimated living
3,419
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Brooklyn
In England and Wales birth records, Brooklyn has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 66.9% of registrations are for boys and 33.1% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Brooklyn registered for boys
- Ranked #602 in 2024
- 63 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2008 (203 births)
Brooklyn registered for girls
- Ranked #952 in 2024
- 37 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2015 (103 births)
Meaning
What does Brooklyn mean?
The name Brooklyn is an English given name that originated as a toponymic surname derived from the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. The name Brooklyn itself is derived from the Dutch word "Breuckelen," which means "broken land" or "marshland."
The earliest recorded use of the name Brooklyn dates back to the late 19th century, when it started to gain popularity as a given name, particularly in the United States. The name was likely inspired by the growing prominence of the Borough of Brooklyn, which was once an independent city before becoming part of New York City in 1898.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Brooklyn was Brooklyn Dodgers baseball player Brooklyn "Bucky" Harris, who was born in 1896 and played for the Dodgers from 1919 to 1923. Another notable early bearer of the name was Brooklyn Denny, an American vaudeville performer and actress born in 1906.
In the 20th century, the name Brooklyn became more widely used, though it remained relatively uncommon. One of the most famous people with the name Brooklyn was Brooklyn Dodgers baseball player Brooklyn "Babe" Cavedert, who played for the team from 1923 to 1935.
Another notable individual with the name Brooklyn was Brooklyn Roosevelt, the daughter of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt. Brooklyn Roosevelt was born in 1924 and was a writer and activist who worked for various humanitarian causes throughout her life.
In the latter half of the 20th century, the name Brooklyn gained wider popularity, particularly among parents seeking unique and unconventional names. One of the most famous modern-day individuals with the name Brooklyn is Brooklyn Beckham, the son of famous soccer player David Beckham and fashion designer Victoria Beckham, who was born in 1999.
While the name Brooklyn was initially associated with the borough of the same name in New York City, it has since transcended its geographical origins and has become a popular given name around the world, appreciated for its unique sound and cultural associations.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Brooklyn over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Brooklyn in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Brooklyn, the clearest high point is 2008. The latest England and Wales figure is 63 births in 2024, compared with 203 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brooklyn by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Brooklyn was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #590 | 321 | 5 |
| 2010s | #333 | 1,393 | 10 |
| 2000s | #271 | 1,324 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1121 | 48 | 2 |
Geography
Where Brooklyn is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Brooklyn. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Brooklyn ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #339 in 2024.
Across the UK
Brooklyn in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#472 in 2022
23 years of NRS records, 194 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#339 in 2024
24 years of NISRA records, 163 total registered
Related
Names similar to Brooklyn
- Benjamin 90,412
- Ben 36,356
- Bradley 30,230
- Brandon 26,411
- Billy 18,608
- Bobby 16,904
- Blake 16,337
- Bailey 16,014
- Brody 7,230
- Beau 6,722
- Barnaby 5,284
- Brodie 4,801
FAQ
Brooklyn: questions and answers
How popular is the name Brooklyn in the UK right now?
In 2024, Brooklyn was ranked #602 for boys in England and Wales, with 63 births registered.
When was Brooklyn most popular?
The peak year on record was 2008, with 203 babies registered as Brooklyn in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Brooklyn?
From an English surname originating from the Dutch town meaning "shattered land".
How many people are called Brooklyn in the UK?
A total of 3,086 babies have been registered as Brooklyn across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 194 more in Scotland and 163 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Brooklyn most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Brooklyn ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #339 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.