Brook
Feminine · “small stream”
Brook is given to both — 10,630 girls and 3,391 boys since 1880. See Brook as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Brook is the English word for a small stream, and it is one of the older words in the language with no clear relatives outside Germanic.
How old is the name Brook?
Brook first appears in US birth records in 1931 — 94 years ago. The typical Brook alive today was born around 1993, making them about 32 years old. About 10,500 people named Brook are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Brook most popular?
Brook peaked in 1980, reaching #503 nationally. Today it ranks #4352, 3,849 places below that high. See the whole 1980 chart.
Where it comes from
From broc to Brook
The story of Brook
Broc is Old English and names a small watercourse; the surname was given to people living by one, which is why it is common. The verb brook, meaning to put up with, comes from a different Old English word about using or enjoying and has nothing to do with water. Brook and Brooke both entered American given naming in the twentieth century, chiefly for girls after the 1970s.
Meaning
small stream
From Old English broc, a stream; the further origin is not established. The verb to brook, meaning to tolerate, is a separate word from an entirely different root, and the two have merged in spelling only.
How the name formed
- broc
- brook
Related forms: Brooke · Bruch
Pronouncing Brook
BRUUK
One syllable. Brook and Brooke are said identically.
Nicknames for Brook
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1931
- Most girls named
- 1980405 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #503reached in 1980
- Change vs 2023
- −5.9%32 in 2025, from 34
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Brook in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Brooke in English — spelling variant
- Bruch in German — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Pennsylvania.
Brooks among us
people named Brook are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 50,227 born in 2025 was named Brook
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Karon test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Brook's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Karon climbed just as high around 1948, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Karon's path sketches the road Brook is walking now.
Brook sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Brook is headed
Brook is easing off slowly — about 25% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Brook beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Brook in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- An ordinary English word, so nobody has to be taught to say or spell it.
- Five letters and one syllable, quick to write.
- A settled meaning tied to something concrete and pleasant.
- Brooke with an e is the far more common spelling for girls.
- It is a common noun and will be read as one rather than as a name at first.
- A one-syllable name gives little room for a nickname.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Brook to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Brook
Feminine · #4352 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Brooks are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 10,500 people named Brook are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Brook in 2025?
- Brook ranks #4352 among US girl names in 2025, with 32 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Brook?
- About 1 in every 50,227 US girls born in 2025 was named Brook — 32 in all.
- Will my child share the name Brook with classmates?
- Brook will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Brook
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Sigrid#4352 · Adel#4352 · Lovella#4352 · Kaysha#4352 · Arissa#4352 · Joseline#4352 · Yajaira#4352 · Elma#4352
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Brook? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Brook and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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