What's in a Name ?

The English surname Danbrook is classified as being a habitation name. Habitation names are those family names derived from the location, town, or residence of the initial bearer; the residence being distinguished by a sign or engraving usually displayed over the door.

The surname Danbrook is believed by some to be a variant of the place name Danbury, located in the northern part of Essex, England. Thus, the name identified a person from Danbury. This surname may also be derived from "Danebruc" (perhaps a place name no longer in existence), signifying "Dane's water meadow". In this case Danbrook may have identified a person who lived by a water meadow settled by the Danes, or the Dane by the brook. (Since our ancestors hailed from Suffolk and not Essex, this latter is the more likely explanation - editor's note).

One of the earliest references to the Danbrook name is a Christian Danbrook, son of Owen Danbrook, who was baptized in Darsham (Suffolk) in June of 1836. Another record of this surname is an Ann Danbrook, who married John Smith in Hasleton, also in Suffolk, in April 1654.

The modern spelling of most English surnames is fairly recent and is usually a phonetic rendering of the name, found in parish registers of the 17^th and 18^th centuries. The same family may have used the name for a previous three or four hundred years in various orthographic forms.