Brooks History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Brooks

What does the name Brooks mean?

The ancestors of the Brooks family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Essex. The name, however, derives from the family's former residence in Broc, in the area of Anjou, France. 1

Early Origins of the Brooks family

The surname Brooks was first found in Essex. Medieval forms of the name are Ate-Broc, Atte-Broc, Attenbroke and was more often than not pluralized to Brooks and Brookes in modern times. 2

Originally from the Norman "Broc," meaning "a stream" or "at the brook," one of the first references was of Robert le Broc and Ranyllph le Broc, two knights having estates in Essex in the year 1119. A few years later, Eustace delbroc was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland in 1130 and Rand de Broc was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Hampshire in 1157. 3

The Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I, listed Edelina del Brok. Henry III-Edward I 4

Early in the 13th century, William de la Broke was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Surrey in 1208 and Emma de Brokes was listed in the same source but in Suffolk in 1220. 3 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Alice de la Broke and Laurence del Broc. 5 In Somerset, William atte Brouke was listed there, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 6

Early History of the Brooks family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brooks research. Another 204 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1214, 1512, 1532, 1545, 1560, 1563, 1569, 1592, 1601, 1602, 1608, 1614, 1632, 1643, 1646, 1648, 1652, 1655, 1660, 1664, 1676, 1680, 1683, 1685 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Brooks History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brooks Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Brooks were recorded, including Brook, Brooke, Brookes, Brooks, Brecks, Broocks and others.

Early Notables of the Brooks family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Thomas Brooks (1608-1680), an English non-conformist Puritan preacher and author

Brooks World Ranking

In the United States, the name Brooks is the 73^rd most popular surname with an estimated 256,161 people with that name. 7 However, in Canada, the name Brooks is ranked the 247^th most popular surname with an estimated 16,458 people with that name. 8 And in Australia, the name Brooks is the 138^th popular surname with an estimated 20,231 people with that name. 9 New Zealand ranks Brooks as 290^th with 2,091 people. 10 The United Kingdom ranks Brooks as 127^th with 39,840 people. 11

Migration of the Brooks family to Ireland

Some of the Brooks family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 124 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brooks migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Brooks arrived in North America very early:

Brooks Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Cutberd Brooks, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 12
James Brooks, who landed in Virginia in 1623 12
Sibile Brooks, who landed in Virginia in 1623 12
Thomas Brooks, aged 23, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship "Southampton" 12
William Brooks, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brooks Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robin Brooks, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 12
Fra Brooks, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 12
Margaret Brooks, who arrived in Virginia in 1717 12
Benja Brooks, who landed in Virginia in 1720 12
Fran Brooks, who landed in Georgia in 1738 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brooks Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Peter Brooks, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 12
Thomas, Brooks Jr., aged 19, who arrived in New York in 1812 12
Samuel Brooks, who landed in New York in 1822 12
Robert Brooks, who arrived in New York in 1822 12
James Brooks, who arrived in New York in 1822 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brooks Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Richard P. Brooks, (b. 1867), aged 35, Cornish miner, from St. Cleer, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Oceanic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 24th April 1902 en route to Houghton, Michigan, USA 13
Miss Mounce Brooks, (b. 1898), aged 5, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 3rd May 1903 en route to Atlantic Mine, Michigan, USA 13
Mrs. Christiana Brooks, (b. 1878), aged 25, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 3rd May 1903 en route to Atlantic Mine, Michigan, USA 13
Sam D Brooks, who arrived in Arkansas in 1903 12
Mrs. Emma Brooks, (b. 1863), aged 41, Cornish settler, from Fowey, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Celtic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 5th June 1904 en route to Rockaway, New York, USA 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brooks migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brooks Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Brooks, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Robert Brooks, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
John Brooks, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mary Brooks, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Chamr Brooks, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brooks migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Brooks Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Miss Elizabeth Brooks, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 7 years , transported aboard the "Britannia III" on 18th July 1798, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14

Brooks Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Isaac Brooks, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 15
Mr. Richard Brooks, English convict who was convicted in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 16
Mr. Thomas Brooks, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 16
Mr. John Brooks, British Convict who was convicted in Sussex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 17
Joseph Brooks, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 18
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brooks migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Brooks Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Brooks, who landed in Cloudy Bay, New Zealand in 1839
Stephen Brooks, aged 39, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
Sarah Brooks, aged 37, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
Caroline Brooks, aged 16, a sempstress, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
Maryanne Brooks, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brooks migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 19

Brooks Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. William Brooks, (b. 1610), aged 25, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Matthew" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 20

Contemporary Notables of the name Brooks (post 1700) +

Frederick Phillips "Fred" Brooks Jr. (1931-2022), American computer architect, software engineer, and computer scientist, best known for managing the development of IBM's System/360 family of computers and the OS/360 software support package, awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1985 and the Turing Award in 1999
Samuel McClenahen Brooks, American actor, known for Neck Deep (2020)
Lawrence Brooks (1909-2022), American veteran of the United States Army, supercentenarian from New Orleans, Louisiana, he was the oldest known American World War II veteran
Mike Brooks (1955-2021), American television news correspondent for CNN
Rayshard Brooks (d. 2020), American man shot and killed by an Atlanta Police Department officer who was investigating a complaint about a man asleep in a car
Andrew Brooks (1970-2021), American researcher who led development of the first FDA-approved Covid-19 saliva test
Michael Jamal Brooks (1983-2020), American talk show host, writer, and political commentator
Timothy Paul "Tim" Brooks (1947-2020), better known by his ring name "Killer" Tim Brooks, an American professional wrestler
Mr. Edward Hale Brooks (1893-1978), born in Concord, New Hampshire, American Lieutenant General who served in World War I and World War II, awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism in World War I 21
Edward A. Brooks (1942-2019), American politician and farmer, Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly (2009-2019)
... (Another 283 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Brooks family +

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Mr. Gordon Barrett Brooks (1959-1979), New Zealander Flight Engineer, from Auckland, New Zealand working aboard the Air New Zealand sightseeing Flight 901 when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 22
Ms. Geraldine Kay Brooks (d. 1979), New Zealander passenger, from Timaru, Canterbury, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; she died in the crash 22

Empress of Ireland

Miss Dorothy Caroline Brooks (1906-1914), Canadian Third Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 23
Mrs. Henrietta Brooks (1880-1914), née Westwood Canadian Third Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who survived the sinking on the Empress of Ireland 23
Mr. Frank Percy Brooks (1884-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who survived the sinking on the Empress of Ireland 23
Mr. Harry Brooks (1886-1914), Canadian Third Class Passenger from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 23

Flight TWA 800

Mrs. Ruth D. Brooks (1917-1996), from Edgartown, Massachusetts, USA, American passenger flying aboard Flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; she died in the crash 24
Mr. Edwin B. Brooks (1915-1996), from Edgartown, Massachusetts, USA, American passenger flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; he died in the crash 24

Fraterville mine

Mr. Henry C. Brooks (d. 1902), American coal miner at Fraterville mine in Tennessee, on the 19th May 1902 when an explosion collapsed the mine; he died 25
Mr. James A. Brooks (d. 1902), American coal miner at Fraterville mine in Tennessee, on the 19th May 1902 when an explosion collapsed the mine; he died 25
Mr. R. S. W. Brooks Sr. (d. 1902), American coal miner at Fraterville mine in Tennessee, on the 19th May 1902 when an explosion collapsed the mine; he died 25
Mr. Charles Brooks Jr. (d. 1902), American coal miner at Fraterville mine in Tennessee, on the 19th May 1902 when an explosion collapsed the mine; he died 25

Halifax Explosion

Mr. Louis Frank Brooks (1844-1917), Canadian resident from Tufts Cove, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 26

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Donald Leslie Brooks (1922-1941), Australian Ordinary Seaman from St. Kilda, South Australia, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 27

HMS Dorsetshire

Joseph Brooks, British Midshipman aboard the HMS Dorsetshire (1945) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 28

HMS Hood

Mr. Terrence L Brooks (b. 1904), English Marine serving for the Royal Marine from Halstead, Kent, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 29
Mr. Jack Brooks (b. 1901), English Stoker 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Urmston, Manchester, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 29
Mr. Gordon B Brooks (b. 1920), English Stoker 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Ledbury, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 29

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Terence Charles Frederick Brooks, British Sergeant Turret, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 30
Mr. Frederick Brooks, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 30

HMS Repulse

Mr. S G Brooks, British Boy, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 31

Prince of Wales colliery

Mr. George Brooks (b. 1854), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 32

RMS Lusitania

Mr. George Brooks, English 3rd Class Waiter from Southport, Lancashire, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 33
Mr. James "Jay Ham" Brooks, American 1st Class Passenger from Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking by escaping in a collapsible 33

RMS Titanic

Mr. J. Brooks (d. 1912), aged 25, English Trimmer from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 34

Senghenydd colliery

Mr. Henry John Brooks (b. 1888), Welsh coal miner from Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died 35

USS Arizona

Mr. Robert Neal Brooks, American Ensign from Washington, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 36

USS Indianapolis

Ulysess Ray Brooks (1917-1945), American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 37

The Brooks Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Perseverando
Motto Translation: By persevering.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Britannia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 31 October 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1
Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
The Washington Post Passenger List TWA Flight 800. (Retrieved 2018, February 15th). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/twa800/list01.htm
News paper article Fraterville Mine Disaster retrieved on 6th August 2021. (Retrieved from http://www.tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/disasters/fraterville.htm).
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Entombed in flood and flame (retrieved 3rd August 2021). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20120603025705/http://www.crosskeys.me.uk/history/prince.htm
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Universal Colliery Senghenydd 1913 disaster retrieved 21st September 2019, retrieved from http://www.welshcoalmines.co.uk/deathrolls/SenghenyddDead1913.htm
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew