Quote:
Originally Posted by
Janine
Niamh, how strange; here, in the US, 'brook' does indeed mean 'the small flow of water like a stream', but is spelled without the 'e'. I wonder if this is one of those instances, of letters being dropped in the ocean, on their way over to America...for example 'labour,' 'harbour'....both spelled here 'labor' and 'harbor', leaving out that 'u'...actually I like them both better with the 'u'. Hahaha... I will have to tell my son and his wife that their daughter's name means 'a stream', in Ireland. They will laugh, since she has an very Irish last name. My son's name is very Irish, too...Sean...
Here's a detailed explanation, I hope:
BROOK
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
From an English surname which denoted one who lived near a brook.
BROOKE
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Variant of BROOK. The name came into use in the 1950s, probably influenced by American socialite Brooke Astor (1902-2007). It was further popularized by actress Brooke Shields.
Source: Behind the Name: Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Brooke
This being said, your granddaughter's name MEANS "a stream" EVERYWHERE, only that her name is an American variant of that stream :p