- From “by the brook” (small river)
- Means son of Brooke
- Commonly used as a surname
The text below is excerpted with permission from the book The Encyclopedia of American Last Names: Family Genealogy and Meanings for 1000 Surnames of Early European Settlers to the United States.
History of the name Brooks
Brooks is a surname of local origin, indicating the one who live “at the brook” or “by the brookside.” The surname is common in all parts of England and is one of the leading names in Yorkshire.
The “s” of Brooks is sometimes explained as due to pluralization. It seems more likely to be due to patronymics. It is common in short surnames of local origin; e.g., Riggs, Briggs, Styles, Holmes, Gates, etc.
The Hundred Rolls have many such entries as de la Broke, del Brok, atte Brouke, ad Broke, etc., all clearly showing the local origin of the surname.
The Dutch broek and Old High German pruoch mean “marsh, bog.” In provincial English, brook is “low, marshy or moory ground.” The word is connected with the verb “break.”
