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Brookes Family History

Brookes Surname Meaning

English (West Midlands): variant of Brooks.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Brookes family from?

You can see how Brookes families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Brookes family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Brookes families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 11 Brookes families living in Virginia. This was about 29% of all the recorded Brookes's in USA. Virginia had the highest population of Brookes families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Brookes surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Brookes ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Brookes. 28% of Brookes men worked as a Laborer and 12% of Brookes women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Brookes were Farm Laborer and Saleslady.

View Census Data for Brookes | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    28%
  • Farmer
    10%
  • Salesman
    9%
  • Farm Laborer
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    12%
  • Housekeeper
    10%
  • Cook
    10%
  • Saleslady
    6%

What Brookes family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 142,000 census records available for the last name Brookes. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Brookes census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Brookes

Passenger Lists

There are 12,000 immigration records available for the last name Brookes. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Brookes immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 10,000 military records available for the last name Brookes. For the veterans among your Brookes ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Brookes military records

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