Girl name · Old English
Brooke
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: small streamBrooke is a girl's name that comes from Old English and means "small stream". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Small stream
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #313 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Brooke
As a girl's name, Brooke comes from Old English and means "small stream". It is used in English.
Its meaning puts Brooke on our names that mean water or sea list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Brooke on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Brooke on 3 lists.
“Small stream; English. Fresh nature feel”
From Girl middle names, one-syllable girl middle names
“Small stream; Old English, via a surname”
From Nature names, nature names for girls
“Small stream; Old English, a surname turned first name”
From Ocean names, names that mean water, river or spring
How popular is Brooke?
- US rank in 2025
- #313
- 972 babies, 605 per million girls
- Best rank
- #43 in 2003
- Most babies: 6,724 in 1996
- Babies since 1934
- At least 198,491
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 3 per million |
| 1940s | 28 per million |
| 1950s | 39 per million |
| 1960s | 113 per million |
| 1970s | 939 per million |
| 1980s | 2,036 per million |
| 1990s | 3,367 per million |
| 2000s | 2,960 per million |
| 2010s | 1,360 per million |
| 2020s | 682 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #173 | #193 | #201 | #211 | #236 | #262 | #270 | #299 | #308 | #313 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names with a similar meaning
- PaulSmall, humble (Latin, boy)
- PaulinaSmall (Latin, girl)
- PaulaSmall, humble (Latin, girl)
- PaulineSmall, humble (Latin, girl)
- PaolaSmall, humble (Latin, girl)
- AdvaSmall ripple (Hebrew, girl)
- BeckettFrom a surname, possibly from beak or stream (Middle English, boy)
- BeverlyBeaver stream (Old English, unisex)
- BrooksSmall streams (Old English, boy)
- DiyaSmall oil lamp (Hindi, girl)
Middle names for Brooke
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
- AoifeBeauty, radiance (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- IrisA rainbow (Greek, girl)
- LydiaWoman from Lydia (Greek, girl)
- NaomiPleasantness, sweetness (Hebrew, girl)
- NiamhBright, radiant (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- PearlPrecious gem from the sea (Latin, girl)
- RoseFragrant garden flower (Latin, girl)
- SageWise one (Latin, unisex)
More girl names from Old English
- EdithRich in war (Old English, girl)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AudreyNoble strength (Old English, girl)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
- LindenLime tree (Old English, unisex)
- LindsayLincoln island (Old English, unisex)
- SundayDay of the sun (Old English, unisex)
- ÆlfflædElf beauty (Old English, girl)
- ÆlfgifuElf gift (Old English, girl)
- ÆlfthrythElf strength (Old English, girl)
Brooke: common questions
What does the name Brooke mean?
Brooke comes from Old English and means "small stream".
Is Brooke a boy or girl name?
Brooke is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Brooke come from?
Brooke comes from Old English and means "small stream". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Brooke?
Brooke ranked #313 in the US in 2025, with 972 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What middle names go with Brooke?
Middle names that flow well with Brooke include Aoife, Iris, Lydia, Naomi and Niamh. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.