Brooks (surname)


Brooks is a toponymic surname that is thought to have been derived residing near a stream from both the Swedish surname Bäckland, meaning bäck "brook, stream" and lund "grove" and English, Gaelic and Scottish from the possessive case of Brook from pre 7th century English origins; Old English broc and appearing in the Medieval predecessors of "Brooks" such as "Ate-Broc" and "Atte-Broc". The surname Brooks has many Germanic links and is sometimes associated with the countries Denmark, Sweden and Norway within Scandinavia and has wide links to the Scandinavian Peninsula. Commonly recorded in Germany, where it is sometimes found with the aristocratic "von", England, Scotland and Ireland it has many possible origins. The word "brook" derives from the Old English broc and appears in the Medieval predecessors of "Brooks" such as "Ate-Broc" and "Atte-Broc". The surname arrived in North America from England in the mid-seventeenth century.
The surname is recorded in Ireland from the 1600s. O'Laughlin reports that "some of the name could stem from Irish origins, the name being changed into the English word 'Brook' or Brooks."
The surname is also found among English-speaking Ashkenazi Jews, deriving from the male Hebrew given name Boruch, meaning "blessed".
The surname Brooks is shared by many notable people:

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