5,442 Global BROOKE Family Members

BROOKE Family History

This ancient surname, of Olde English origins, is according to conventional wisdom, habitational from one who lived at one of the villages called Brook, or who lived by a brook. However, recent research suggests that for many nameholders their origin was job-descriptive, deriving from the post 1066 Norman French "broc", a word which translates as "pitcher" or "ewer", and as such was a metonymic for one who delivered fresh water from such a vessel. The plural forms of the name are generally patronymic, indicating 'Son of Brook(e)', although it is arguable that in some cases it may imply one who lived 'at the brooks'...