Rook
Usually a nickname from the bird rook, often suggesting dark coloring or a sharp, bird-like character.
The #7,165 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 66,141 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname most likely began as a nickname from the bird name Middle English rook, from Old English hrōc, meaning a rook or crow-like bird. In medieval surname use, bird names were often applied metaphorically, and the sources here suggest associations with dark hair or complexion, or with a sharp, bird-like personality. The same word also appears in old place-names and family names, but the surname itself is best explained as a nickname.
History
Medieval records cited by the older surname writers include forms such as le Roke and le Rok, showing that the name was in use by the 13th and 14th centuries. The surname has persisted in England and, through later migration, in North America and other English-speaking countries. Some older writers also noted a possible overlap with the verb rook meaning “to cheat,” but the bird-name explanation is the standard one for the surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Nineteenth-century surname writers often grouped Rook with other bird-based nicknames like Crow, Raven, and Peacock.
From the historical record
“hrdf-^wyrhtdl ROOK "1 (Eng. and Scand.) a nickname and ROOKE ) pers. name from the Rook [M.E. rook, roke, O.E. hrdc = O.N. hrdk-r, a rook] Geoffrey le Rdke.—Hund- Rolls. ROOKER = Roker, q.v. ijoin”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)