Brooks (surname)

Brooks is a surname that was thought by the early twentieth century to have been derived from the condition of residing near a stream (or brook). The Hundred Rolls, a late thirteenth century census of England and part of Wales, contains many uses of "Broke" and variants "Brock" and "Brok" as a surname. 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 also moderately common among Ashkenazi Jews in Anglophone countries.

The surname Brooks is shared by many notable people.

A

• Aaron Brooks (American football) (b. 1976), American football quarterback
• Aaron Brooks (basketball) (b. 1985), American Basketball player
• Ahmad Brooks (b. 1984), American football linebacker
• Albert Brooks (b. 1947), actor, comedian, and director
• Alfred Johnson Brooks (1890–1967), Canadian politician
• Allan Brooks (1869–1946), Canadian bird artist
• Allette Brooks (fl.1996–2001), American folk singer
• Anne Rose Brooks (b. 1963), American actress
• Anthony Brooks (1922–2007), British undercover agent
• Avery Brooks (b. 1948), American film/TV actor

B

• Barney Brooks, American physician
• Barrett Brooks, American football player
• Beverley Brooks, British actress, later Pamela Harmsworth, Viscountess Rothermere
• Bill Brooks (b. 19??), American former baseball and basketball coach
• Bruce Brooks (b. 1950), American author
• Bryant Butler Brooks, American politician

C

• Caroline St John-Brooks, British journalist and academic
• Charles Brooks, Jr. (1942–1982), American convicted murderer and the first person executed by lethal injection in the United States
• Charles Timothy Brooks, (1813–1883), American translator (from German), poet and Unitarian minister
• Charles F. Broooks, American meteorologist, founder of Mt. Washington Observatory
• Charles William Shirley Brooks (1816–1874), English journalist and novelist
• Charles W. Brooks, American politician
• Charlie Brooks (b. 1981), Welsh actress
• Chris Brooks, British radio presenter
• Cindy Brooks, American model
• Cleanth Brooks (1906–1994), American literary critic
• Constance "Connie" Brooks (see Our Miss Brooks), a fictional English language teacher
• Conrad Brooks (b. 1931), American actor

D

• Dallas Brooks, Australian general and politician
• Darin Brooks, American actor
• David Brooks, one of several people including
• David Brooks, conservative commentator for The New York Times and other publications.
• David Brooks, (1756-1838), US politician
• David Brooks patented insulator for telegraph lines in 1867.
• David Allen Brooks, film and television actor.
• David Brooks, accomplice of serial killer Dean Corll
• David Brooks, Australian poet
• Deanna Brooks, American model
• Derrick Brooks (b. 1973), American professional football player
• Dick Brooks, American racing driver
• Dolores "LaLa" Brooks (b. 1947), former member of the girl group The Crystals
• Donald Brooks, American fashion designer
• Donnie Brooks (b. 1936), American pop music singer

E

• Edward Brooks (circa 1883 – 19??), British World War I Victoria Cross recipient
• Edward Schroeder Brooks (1867-1957), US Congressman from Pennsylvania
• Elisabeth Brooks, Canadian actress
• Elkie Brooks (b. 1945), British singer

F

• Foster Brooks, American comedian
• Frank Brooks, American baseball player
• Fred Brooks (b. 1931), American software engineer and computer scientist

G

• Garth Brooks (b. 1962), American musician
• Geoffrey Michael Brooks, British writer
• Geraldine Brooks, American actress
• Geraldine Brooks, Australian writer
• Glenn Brooks, Canadian politician
• Golden Brooks, American actress
• Greg Brooks, Canadian chef
• Guy Brooks, American fiddle player
• Gwendolyn Brooks, (1917–2000), award-winning African American woman poet

H

• Hadda Brooks, American pianist
• Harold Brooks-Baker, American journalist
• Harold E. Brooks, American atmospheric scientist
• Harriet Brooks, Canadian physicist
• Harry Brooks, American composer
• Harvey Brooks, American bassist
• Herb Brooks, American ice hockey coach
• Horatio G. Brooks, American rail engineer
• Hubie Brooks, American baseball player

J

• J. Twing Brooks (1884–1956), U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania
• Jack Brooks, one of several people including
• Jack Brooks, English pro skateboarder
• Jack Brooks (1912–1971), a British-American lyricist
• Jack Brooks (born 1922), U.S. Congressman
• James Brooks, one of several people including
• James Brooks (Bishop) (1512–1560)
• James Brooks (Whig), 19th century American politician from New York
• James Brooks (painter) (1906–1992)
• James Brooks (American football player) (born 1958)
• James L. Brooks (born 1940), Hollywood producer, writer and film director
• Jamie Brooks, British musician
• Jason Brooks, American actor
• Jean Brooks, American actress
• John Brooks (1752–1825), a governor of Massachusetts
• John Brooks Jr. (1783–1813), United States Marine Corps officer
• Juanita Brooks, American writer

K

• Kimberly Brooks, American actress
• Kix Brooks, American musician from Brooks & Dunn

L

• Larry Brooks, American football player
• Lela Brooks, Canadian skater
• Lonnie Brooks, American blues musician
• Louise Brooks, American actress

M

• Maria Gowen Brooks, American poet
• Mark Brooks, one of several people including
• Mark Brooks, golfer
• Maurice Brooks, American naturalist
• Max Brooks, American humorist
• Mehcad Brooks, American actor
• Mel Brooks (b. 1926), American actor, writer director, and theatrical producer
• Meredith Brooks (b. 1958), American musician

N

• Nan Brooks, American illustrator
• Nathan C. Brooks, American educator
• Ned Brooks, American broadcaster
• Neil Brooks, Australian swimmer
• Nicholas Brooks, American singer
• Noah Brooks, American journalist

O

• Oliver Brooks, British soldier
• Overton Brooks, American politician

P

• Pattie Brooks, American singer
• Phil Brooks, American wrestler
• Philip John Brooks, British folk musician
• Phillips Brooks, American Episcopalian bishop and writer
• Preston Brooks, American politician

R

• Ralph G. Brooks, American politician
• Ramy Brooks, American dog racer
• Randy Brooks, see Randy Brooks (disambiguation)
• Ray Brooks (actor), English actor
• Rich Brooks, American football coach
• Richard Brooks (1912–1992), American film writer, director and producer
• Richard Brooks (b. 1962), American actor
• Robert Brooks (born 1970), former NFL football player
• Robert Edward Brooks (born 1966), British wrestler known as Robbie Brookside
• Rodney Brooks (b. 1954), director of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
• Romaine Brooks, American painter

S

• Samuel Brooks, Manchester (UK) businessman
• Scott Brooks, American basketball player
• Shane Brooks, Australian computer scientist
• Shelton Brooks, American popular music composer
• Siobhan Brooks, American sociologist and activist
• Stacy Brooks, public critic of the Church of Scientology
• Stephen Brooks, American academic
• Steve Brooks (singer), American folk musician
• Steve Brooks (jockey), American Hall of Fame jockey

T

• Terry Brooks (b. 1944), American author
• Theodore Marley "Ham" Brooks, fictional character from Doc Savage
• Tina Brooks, American jazz saxophonist
• Tom Brooks, Australian cricketer
• Tony Brooks, British racing driver
• Travis Brooks, Australian field hockey player

V

• Van Wyck Brooks, American writer
• Vincent Brooks, US Army brigadier

W

• Walter R. Brooks, American children's writer
• Wiley Brooks, breatharian
• William Brooks of Blackburn, British cotton supplier
• Sir William Cunliffe Brooks, 1st Baronet, British lawyer and politician
• William Edwin Brooks, English ornithologist who lived in India and Canada
• William Keith Brooks, American zoologist
• William L. Brooks, American outlaw
• William Robert Brooks, American astronomer
• William T. H. Brooks, American Civil War major general

See also

• Brooks
• Baron Crawshaw, family name Brooks
• Brookes
• Brook
• Brooke

References