Brooks
Feminine · “of the brook”
Brooks is given to boys far more often — 57,946 boys against 1,693 girls since 1880. See Brooks as a boy name
Brooks is son of the brook — and the Old English broc named a stream long before it meant to tolerate something.
How old is the name Brooks?
Brooks first appears in US birth records in 1915 — 110 years ago. The typical Brooks alive today was born around 2002, making them about 23 years old. About 1,600 people named Brooks are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Brooks most popular?
Brooks peaked in 1980, reaching #1833 nationally. Today it ranks #2117, 284 places below that high. See the whole 1980 chart.
Where it comes from
From broc to Brooks
The story of Brooks
Brook and Brooks are among the commonest English locational surnames, given to families living by a stream. The name crossed to America and entered given-name use, chiefly masculine but also for girls from the 2000s. It appears in the registers in current use.
Meaning
of the brook, dweller by a stream
From the Old English broc, 'stream', with the English patronymic or possessive s. The verb 'to brook', meaning to tolerate, is a different Old English word entirely and only sounds the same. The surname located a family by water. The etymology is documented.
How the name formed
- broc
- Brook
- Brooks
Related forms: Brooke · Brook
Pronouncing Brooks
BROOKS
One syllable. Said identically in every English accent.
Nicknames for Brooks
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
- 1915
- Most girls named
- 202588 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1833reached in 1980
- Change vs 2023
- +10.0%88 in 2025, from 80
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.
Brooks in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Brooke in English — related form
- Brook in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, North Carolina, Florida.
Brookss among us
people named Brooks are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 18,264 born in 2025 was named Brooks
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 Sherra test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Brooks's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Sherra climbed just as high around 1943, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Sherra's path sketches the road Brooks is walking now.
Brooks 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 Brooks is headed
Brooks should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low 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.
Brooks beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Brooks in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The stream meaning is concrete and needs no explanation.
- Brook and Brooke are both available as related forms with large records.
- One syllable, clean, and never mispronounced.
- It reads as more masculine than feminine and as a surname.
- Brooke is far commoner as a girls' name.
- The final s invites constant correction.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Brooks to the vote.
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What they receive
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Brooks
Feminine · #2117 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Brookss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,600 people named Brooks are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Brooks in 2025?
- Brooks ranks #2117 among US girl names in 2025, with 88 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Brooks?
- About 1 in every 18,264 US girls born in 2025 was named Brooks — 88 in all.
- Will my child share the name Brooks with classmates?
- Brooks will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Brooks
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Anylah#2117 · Krystal#2117 · Jean#2117 · Taelynn#2117 · Adelia#2117 · Aoife#2117 · Chany#2117 · Nahomy#2117
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Brooks? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Brooks and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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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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