Brock
Usually a nickname or place-name surname referring to a badger, though it can also come from a brook-related medieval form.
The #546 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,031 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In English surname use, Brock most often comes from Old English and Middle English brocc, meaning “badger.” Early records also show forms like le Broc or le Brokk used as a nickname, literally “the badger,” probably for someone thought to resemble the animal in looks or behavior. Some instances may instead come from a medieval form of brook, so not every Brock has the same origin.
History
The name appears in medieval records in England, and Bardsley cites early forms such as Robert le Brokk. It later spread as both a nickname surname and a local surname, helping generate related place-based names such as Brockhurst and Brockwell. In Scotland and northern records, similar forms may also reflect Norse influence or local pronunciation.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley notes that several surnames beginning with Brock likely started from places associated with brocks, or badgers, rather than from the animal nickname alone.
From the historical record
“BROADAA^OOD. Two parishes In Devon. BROCK. A-Sax. hroc.—A badger. (See however Brockman). Also a medieval form of Brook. From one or other of these sources come the local surnames Brock- bank, Brocksopp, Brockwell, Brockhurst, Brocklehurst, Brockway, &c. BROCKETT. According to Harrison's Descr. of Engl. p. 22G, a…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom