Brooks
Brooks was the 64th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 4,877 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 169 places. More babies were named Brooks in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning brook, stream (surname) · English
Say it BROOKS /brʊks/
- Rank in 2025
- #64 boys, up 28 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 4,877boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20254,877 babies
- Total since 1880
- 59,639babies recorded
What does the name Brooks mean?
Brooks is an English surname for someone who lived near a brook, a small stream; it is a variant of Brook with the -s that often marks 'of' or 'at' in English surnames. The word goes back to Old English broc. Wiktionary also notes German and Dutch surnames that merged with Brook in America, from words for marsh or wetland. As a boy's first name Brooks is a transferred surname, mostly American.
brōc (Old English, “brook, stream”)brook (Middle English, “stream”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Pronunciation: The oo is short, as in 'book'.
See also: English names, names that mean water.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Brooks', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'Brook', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'brook', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Brooks popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,693 since 1915, 88 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #64 | 4,877 |
| 2020 | #92 | 3,870 |
| 2010 | #401 | 700 |
| 2000 | #707 | 248 |
| 1990 | #681 | 221 |
| 1980 | #497 | 289 |
| 1970 | #674 | 148 |
| 1960 | #769 | 98 |
| 1950 | #893 | 59 |
| 1940 | #793 | 61 |
| 1930 | #916 | 53 |
| 1920 | #744 | 77 |
| 1910 | #872 | 13 |
| 1900 | #749 | 12 |
| 1890 | #751 | 8 |
| 1880 | #932 | 5 |
How popular is Brooks, counting every spelling?
Brooks is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #71 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #64 for Brooks on its own. Together these spellings went to 4,882 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooks | 4,877 | #64 | 22,965 |
| Broox | 5 | #12,331 | 38 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Brooks?
4,877 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Brooks (1.35 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Brooks born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 39. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Brooks.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Brooks?
About 54,400 people born in the US named Brooks are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 3 and 14. That makes Brooks a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Brooks by state
How common Brooks was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (4.2×), North Dakota (4.2×), South Dakota (3.5×), Montana (3.0×), Utah (2.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Mexico, California, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Brooks: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Brooks, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Brooks · Sibling names for Brooks
Questions about the name Brooks
What does Brooks mean?
Brooks means “brook, stream (surname)” (English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Brooks?
Brooks was the 64th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 4,877 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 169 places. More babies were named Brooks in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Brooks a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Brooks in the US.
Where is Brooks most popular?
In 2021–2025, Brooks was most common in Wyoming (11.24 per 1,000 boys), followed by North Dakota and South Dakota.