boy's name
Brooks
BROOKS
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 62,503
the United States
#64
2025 births
Brooks is a boy's name of English origin meaning "of the brook" or "dweller by the stream," from the Old English broc. It began as a surname identifying a family by the water they lived beside.
- Brooks is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 4,965 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 668 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Brooks over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 53 |
| 1890s | 83 |
| 1900s | 129 |
| 1910s | 498 |
| 1920s | 652 |
| 1930s | 545 |
| 1940s | 729 |
| 1950s | 1,061 |
| 1960s | 1,212 |
| 1970s | 1,554 |
| 1980s | 3,138 |
| 1990s | 2,537 |
| 2000s | 3,643 |
| 2010s | 16,543 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 27,262 |
What Brooks means
Brooks means someone who lived near a brook or small stream, from the Old English broc. The final s is possessive rather than plural — it marks belonging to a place, in the same way as Rivers, Banks and Meadows.
Where Brooks comes from
Brooks comes from the Old English broc, meaning a small stream, one of a set of English topographic surnames formed from features of the landscape — Brook, Brooke, Brooks, Atwater, Rivers. The s ending is genitive, indicating the family of the brook rather than several brooks. Surnames of this type were among the earliest to become hereditary in England, since a neighbor identified by their location needed no further explanation. Brooks moved into use as a given name in America, following the same route as Hudson, Carter and Mason, and carries a distinctly Southern association there.
How popular is Brooks?
In 2025, Brooks was given to 4,965 babies in the United States, ranking #64 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Brooks is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Brooks
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Brooks also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Brooks over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Brooks
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Brooks in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Brooks
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Brooks — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Brooks
What does the name Brooks mean?
Brooks means "of the brook," from the Old English broc, a small stream.
Why does Brooks end in s?
The s is possessive — it marks the family of the brook, not multiple brooks.
Was Brooks originally a surname?
Yes. It is an English topographic surname identifying a family by the stream they lived beside.
How popular is the name Brooks?
In 2025, Brooks was given to 4,965 babies in the United States, ranking #64 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Brooks a girl's or a boy's name?
Brooks is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Brooks?
Brooks has 1 syllable.
What are the nicknames for Brooks?
Brooks is usually shortened to Brook.
Is Brooks a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Brooks currently ranks #64 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.