The Brooks surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 251,663 people carried this name — #82 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 1,170 people counted. That is up 5% from 240,751 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Brooks surname
A topographic surname from Middle English, variant of Brook.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Brooks» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 25 births for the Brooks name in 1890.
Most were registered in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,100 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 5 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Cork and Dublin.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 113 people named Brooks.
Most of them — 61 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 9 départements, most often Guadeloupe.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
74 people named Brooks live in Switzerland.
They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 57 people named Brooks live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Poland’s population register
37 people named Brooks have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 135 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 8 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
118 people named Brooks are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Brooks in American newspapers,
1906–1917.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,512,028 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Brooks,
with a public archive behind them.
-
John Brooks 1710– · engraver -
Richard Brooks 1765–1833 · merchant -
Peter Chardon Brooks 1767–1849 · businessperson -
Micah Brooks 1775–1857 · judge -
Maria Gowen Brooks 1794–1845 · writer
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 182 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Brooks.
- Bron 265 · U.S. census
- Brondel 119 · U.S. census
- Bronn 259 · U.S. census
- Bronner 2,394 · U.S. census
- Bronstein 1,748 · U.S. census
- Brood 149 · U.S. census
- Bros 258 · U.S. census
- Brosius 1,937 · U.S. census
- Brossard 488 · U.S. census
- Brossart 670 · U.S. census
- Brosseau 1,209 · U.S. census
- Brossette 254 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Brooks is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.