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Brooks Family History

Brooks Surname Meaning

English: usually a variant of Brook with excrescent -s. The optional addition of -s with no grammatical function is usually post-medieval but some examples of the same person's name occurring with and without -(e)s have been noted as early as the 14th century in South Lancashire.

The -es in such cases probably has neither a plural nor a genitival function and the name means ‘dweller at the brook’ not ‘dweller at the brooks’. A plural sense cannot be ruled out elsewhere but a non-grammatical -(e)s must also be considered a strong possibility.

Americanized form of one or more similar (like-sounding) Jewish surnames.

Americanized form of German Brucks.

Americanized form of Dutch Broeks an inflected form of Broek see Brook.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Brooks family from?

You can see how Brooks families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Brooks family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Brooks families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 5,175 Brooks families living in Lancashire. This was about 17% of all the recorded Brooks's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Brooks families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Brooks surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Brooks ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Brooks. 7% of Brooks men worked as a General Labourer and 66% of Brooks women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Brooks were Bricklayer and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Brooks | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    7%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    2%
  • Bricklayer
    2%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    66%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Brooks family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Brooks. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Brooks census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Brooks

Passenger Lists

There are 146,000 immigration records available for the last name Brooks. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 252,000 military records available for the last name Brooks. For the veterans among your Brooks ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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