The Holbrook surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 23,843 people carried this name — #1,502 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 12,400 people counted. That is up 2% from 23,317 in 2000.

See Holbrook on the map Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Holbrook surname

A habitational surname from Old English.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Holbrook» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Holbrook’.

An early record he cites: William Holbroke, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Holbrook, Holebrook and Hullbrook.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 391 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Holbrook was found among the farmers of Nottinghamshire: 12 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Nottinghamshire 12

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

176 families named Holbrook, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,038 people lived in those households, 5.9 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Holbrook, Halbrook, Hallbrook, Holbrock, Holbrooks, Holdbrook, Holebrook, Hollbrook, Hoolbrook. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 90
Vermont 20
Connecticut 18
North Carolina 13
Maine 12
New Hampshire 11
New York 5
Maryland 3
South Carolina 3
Rhode Island 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 245 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Holbrook in American newspapers,
1890.

Newspaper page from Lyon County Times carrying the name Holbrook
Lyon County Times 1890-05-17
Newspaper page from Lyon County Times carrying the name Holbrook
Lyon County Times 1890-03-15
Newspaper page from Yorkville Enquirer carrying the name Holbrook
Yorkville Enquirer 1890-01-08

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 215,359 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Holbrook in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

8,452 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Holbrook. The most, 1,992, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,832
Queensland 1,541
South Australia 1,324
Victoria 1,300
Tasmania 894
Western Australia 450
ACT (Canberra) 65

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Holbrook.

Who carried it

People named Holbrook,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Holbrook
    John Holbrook 1761–1838 · businessperson
  • John Holbrook d. 1699
  • Maud Denison Gooch Holbrook d. 1941
  • William Holbrook 1568–1625
  • Thomas Holbrook 1593–1676
  • William Holbrook 1620–1699

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Holbrook,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,577 records

1,577 records of the Holbrook name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 777
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 279
  • Other U.S. records 521
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Orval R. Holbrook

    Born 1920 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1945 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas; driver from Okmulgee County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Mission Park Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert James Holbrook

    Born 1932; from Nashua, New Hampshire. U.S. Marine Corps; killed in action 1950 in Korea. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Edward Holbrook

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool, aged 34; merchant. From London; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,577 records for Holbrook in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia299 records

299 records of the Holbrook name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 119
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 107
  • Other Australian records 73
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Charles Holbrook

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Pestongee Bomangee, sailing from Plymouth in 1852. Native of Gloucestershire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854. Married 1854 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 28.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Holbrook

    Arrived in Victoria in 1861 aboard the Astroea, aged 38; British subject.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Stanley Norman Holbrook

    Retired of Bayswater, Victoria; died 1997.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 299 records for Holbrook in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada32 records

32 records of the Holbrook name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 7
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 7
  • Other Canadian records 18
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Rodney Kitt Holbrook

    Buried in 1973 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 51.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record James Beverley Holbrook

    Died in service in 1917.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Winfred Clifton Holbrook

    Married 1902 in Bridgetown, Annapolis, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 32 records for Holbrook in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

United Kingdom24 records

24 records of the Holbrook name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 18
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 5
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Richard Holbrook

    Buried in 1805 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 65.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Ernest Evans Holbrook

    Will proved in 1941; of Rhyl, Flint.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record F. Holbrook

    Gloucestershire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 24 records for Holbrook in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Holbrook name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record George Stanley Holbrook

    Born 1911 in Asnières (Hauts-de-Seine); died 2001 in Guéthary (Pyrénées-Atlantiques).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Holbrook.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Holbrook 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.

See the Holbrook volume
Scroll to Top