NameCensus.

UK surname

Brooks

A topographic surname for someone who lived near a brook or stream.

In the 1881 census there were 29,205 people recorded with the Brooks surname, ranking it #108 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 39,010, ranked #128, down from #108 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Mary Islington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Great Yarmouth, North Norfolk and Bolsover.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Brooks is 40,192 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 33.6%.

1881 census count

29,205

Ranked #108

Modern count

39,010

2016, ranked #128

Peak year

1999

40,192 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Brooks had 29,205 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #108 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 39,010 in 2016, ranked #128.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 37,632 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Brooks surname distribution map

The map shows where the Brooks surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Brooks surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Brooks over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 18,590 #113
1861 historical 18,762 #115
1881 historical 29,205 #108
1891 historical 31,829 #104
1901 historical 37,287 #107
1911 historical 37,632 #101
1997 modern 38,434 #119
1998 modern 40,084 #121
1999 modern 40,192 #122
2000 modern 39,807 #122
2001 modern 38,929 #122
2002 modern 39,716 #124
2003 modern 38,740 #125
2004 modern 38,566 #125
2005 modern 37,799 #127
2006 modern 37,719 #130
2007 modern 37,934 #129
2008 modern 38,191 #129
2009 modern 39,111 #129
2010 modern 39,932 #129
2011 modern 39,327 #130
2012 modern 38,615 #129
2013 modern 39,369 #128
2014 modern 39,624 #128
2015 modern 39,259 #128
2016 modern 39,010 #128

Geography

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Where Brooks' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Great Yarmouth, North Norfolk, Bolsover and Bath and North East Somerset. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Great Yarmouth 002 Great Yarmouth
2 North Norfolk 014 North Norfolk
3 Bolsover 007 Bolsover
4 Bolsover 006 Bolsover
5 Bath and North East Somerset 023 Bath and North East Somerset

Forenames

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First names often paired with Brooks

These lists show first names that appear often with the Brooks surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Brooks

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Brooks, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Brooks surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Brooks household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Brooks is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Brooks is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Brooks falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Brooks is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Brooks, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of 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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Brooks families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Brooks surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 4,789 Brooks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.41x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 4,789 1.41x
Middlesex 3,955 1.38x
Surrey 1,474 1.06x
Yorkshire 1,449 0.51x
Staffordshire 1,270 1.32x
Kent 1,229 1.26x
Warwickshire 967 1.34x
Devon 954 1.60x
Cheshire 943 1.50x
Somerset 921 2.00x
Worcestershire 885 2.37x
Essex 780 1.38x
Derbyshire 714 1.60x
Leicestershire 689 2.18x
Gloucestershire 645 1.15x
Lincolnshire 597 1.31x
Norfolk 563 1.28x
Oxfordshire 513 2.91x
Nottinghamshire 504 1.31x
Sussex 479 0.99x
Buckinghamshire 406 2.35x
Berkshire 386 1.80x
Hampshire 374 0.64x
Durham 328 0.39x
Glamorgan 309 0.62x
Suffolk 292 0.84x
Wiltshire 267 1.06x
Bedfordshire 241 1.63x
Lanarkshire 238 0.26x
Northamptonshire 217 0.81x
Cambridgeshire 204 1.13x
Hertfordshire 201 1.02x
Northumberland 192 0.45x
Monmouthshire 184 0.89x
Shropshire 125 0.51x
Herefordshire 124 1.06x
Dorset 115 0.61x
Midlothian 89 0.23x
Cornwall 82 0.25x
Flintshire 64 0.83x
Stirlingshire 42 0.40x
Channel Islands 40 0.47x
Cumberland 39 0.16x
Pembrokeshire 34 0.37x
Aberdeenshire 31 0.12x
Rutland 29 1.38x
Denbighshire 28 0.26x
Angus 27 0.10x
Royal Navy 27 0.79x
Ayrshire 24 0.11x
Huntingdonshire 20 0.35x
Roxburghshire 20 0.39x
Caernarfonshire 18 0.16x
Renfrewshire 17 0.08x
Brecknockshire 16 0.28x
Isle of Man 15 0.28x
Fife 12 0.07x
Inverness-shire 11 0.13x
Westmorland 10 0.16x
Perthshire 8 0.06x
Berwickshire 6 0.17x
Radnorshire 5 0.22x
Ross-shire 5 0.06x
Sutherland 5 0.23x
Carmarthenshire 4 0.03x
Montgomeryshire 4 0.06x
Buteshire 3 0.17x
Clackmannanshire 3 0.13x
Kincardineshire 2 0.06x
Orkney 2 0.06x
West Lothian 2 0.05x
Anglesey 1 0.02x
Cardiganshire 1 0.01x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.02x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.01x
Morayshire 1 0.02x
Wigtownshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 394 Brooks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.42x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 394 1.42x
Lambeth 321 1.29x
Aston 289 1.46x
Birmingham 275 1.15x
St Pancras London 264 1.15x
Oldham 251 2.29x
Hackney London 238 1.49x
St Marylebone London 237 1.55x
Bethnal Green London 236 1.90x
West Ham 233 1.87x
Shoreditch London 216 1.74x
Tottington Lower End 214 13.29x
Camberwell 207 1.13x
Kensington London 184 1.16x
Nottingham St Mary 180 1.81x
Little Bolton 162 3.72x
Manchester 162 1.06x
Salford 162 1.63x
Kingswinford 155 4.43x
Farnworth 148 7.29x
Great Bolton 142 3.16x
Paddington London 135 1.29x
Hammersmith London 131 1.86x
Ainsworth 128 97.57x
Elton 128 10.93x
Bermondsey 126 1.48x
Tottenham 126 2.77x
Kidderminster Borough 125 5.73x
Barton Upon Irwell 121 4.74x
Chelsea London 120 1.39x
Worsley 116 5.55x
Blackburn 114 1.26x
Clerkenwell London 112 1.66x
Brighton 111 1.14x
Ashton Under Lyne 108 1.46x
Bury 108 2.79x
Battersea 105 1.00x
Leeds 105 0.66x
Leicester St Margaret 105 1.36x
West Bromwich 101 1.83x
Bedminster 97 2.25x
Lye 95 15.31x
Newington 94 0.89x
Dudley 93 2.05x
Dukinfield 92 3.16x
Rowley Regis 91 3.39x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 89 1.69x
Liverpool 85 0.41x
Preston 84 0.93x
Radcliffe 81 4.96x
Portsea 80 0.70x
Toxteth Park 80 0.70x
Mile End Old Town London 78 1.28x
Darcy Lever 77 39.46x
Croydon 76 0.98x
Hampstead London 75 1.69x
Glasgow 73 0.45x
Plymouth St Andrew 72 1.57x
Ealing 71 2.78x
Stoke Upon Trent 71 0.69x
Edmonton 70 3.04x
Greenwich 70 1.54x
Lewisham 70 1.35x
Brightside Bierlow 69 1.24x
Great Yarmouth 68 1.87x
Plymouth Charles The 67 2.56x
Hulme 66 0.93x
Stockport 66 2.03x
Edgbaston 65 2.91x
Stoke Damerel 64 1.54x
West Derby 64 0.65x
Plumstead 63 1.94x
Woolwich 63 1.75x
Formby 62 16.16x
Fulham London 62 1.50x
Sheffield 62 0.69x
Wolverhampton 62 0.84x
Broughton In Salford 60 1.94x
Pendleton In Salford 60 1.49x
Trent 60 131.15x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Brooks surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 1,876
Elizabeth 1,181
Sarah 1,042
Ann 573
Alice 567
Jane 506
Eliza 497
Emma 485
Ellen 455
Annie 393
Emily 338
Hannah 315
Martha 274
Harriet 227
Margaret 221
Louisa 213
Maria 210
Charlotte 179
Caroline 175
Ada 164
Fanny 161
Florence 159
Edith 151
Clara 130
Frances 118
Susan 118
Catherine 105
Kate 102
Anne 100
Harriett 99
Lucy 90
Agnes 88
Amelia 81
Matilda 75
Esther 74
Amy 71
Rose 70
Rebecca 61
Sophia 61
Betsy 59
Susannah 56
Jessie 52
Isabella 51
Eleanor 50
Minnie 49
Selina 49
Gertrude 47
Rachel 45
Elizth. 44
Lizzie 43

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Brooks surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 1,821
John 1,632
George 1,085
Thomas 989
James 903
Charles 600
Henry 574
Joseph 538
Edward 341
Robert 320
Samuel 310
Alfred 304
Arthur 288
Frederick 258
Richard 239
Walter 237
Albert 207
Harry 146
Ernest 120
David 119
Benjamin 111
Edwin 111
Herbert 97
Frank 81
Wm. 81
Francis 67
Stephen 50
Daniel 49
Peter 49
Thos. 49
Isaac 47
Fred 43
Geo. 42
Fredk. 32
Fredrick 32
Tom 31
Chas. 30
Percy 29
Sidney 29
Ralph 28
Joshua 27
Abraham 26
Jesse 26
Philip 26
Sydney 25
Eli 24
Mark 24
Adam 23
Jonathan 23
Jno. 21

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Brooks households.

FAQ

Brooks surname: questions and answers

How common was the Brooks surname in 1881?

In 1881, 29,205 people were recorded with the Brooks surname. That placed it at #108 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Brooks surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 39,010 in 2016. That gives Brooks a modern rank of #128.

What does the Brooks surname mean?

A topographic surname for someone who lived near a brook or stream.

What does the Brooks map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Brooks bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.