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Rook Family History

Rook Surname Meaning

English: either a nickname from Middle English rok(e) ruk(e) ‘rook’ (Old English hrōc) perhaps for someone with very dark hair or a dark complexion or with a raucous voice or else a topographic or habitational name referring to a house with the sign of the rook.

English: variant of Rock.

German: from a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name formed with hrok perhaps a cognate of 1 or from Middle High German rōhen ‘to cry or yell (in battle)’ or Old High German ruoh ‘intent’ ‘greed’.

Perhaps an altered form of German Ruck.

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


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Where is the Rook family from?

You can see how Rook families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Rook family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Rook families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 14 Rook families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 19% of all the recorded Rook's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Rook families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Rook 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 Rook ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Rook. 19% of Rook men worked as a Laborer and 11% of Rook women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Rook were Truck Driver and Housekeeper.

View Census Data for Rook | 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
    19%
  • Farmer
    16%
  • Salesman
    7%
  • Truck Driver
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    11%
  • Maid
    8%
  • Housework
    8%
  • Housekeeper
    7%

What Rook family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 61,000 census records available for the last name Rook. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Rook census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Rook

Passenger Lists

There are 4,000 immigration records available for the last name Rook. 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 Rook immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 7,000 military records available for the last name Rook. For the veterans among your Rook ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Rook military records

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