Contents [hide]

Brock History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Brock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The ancestral home of the Brock family is in the German state of Bavaria. The name Brock is an occupational hereditary surname, a type of surname that was taken from a word describing or common to the profession of the original bearer. It is a name for a person who was physically powerful. This surname was originally derived from the Old German word brock which refers to those individuals who had a stocky or strong build. The surname Brock also has local origins, being derived from the Old German word brok which denotes that the original bearer of the surname lived near a marshy area.

Early Origins of the Brock family

The surname Brock was first found in the Rhineland, where the family became noted for its many branches within the region, each house acquiring a status and influence which was envied by the local princes. In their later history the family became a power unto themselves and were elevated to the ranks of nobility as they grew into this most influential family. The name may derives from the term "Brook" or "Brauk," which means a marshy landscape and was therefore common in the northern regions.

Early History of the Brock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brock research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1533, 1680 and 1747 are included under the topic Early Brock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brock Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Brock include Brock, Brocke, Brocken, Brockes, Brock, Brokke, Braeuck, Braucker and many more.

Early Notables of the Brock family

Notables with the name Brock during this period were

Barthold Hinrich Brockes (1680-1747), born into a wealthy merchant family of Hamburg, who became a poet as well as a senator of the city

Brock Ranking

In the United States, the name Brock is the 451^st most popular surname with an estimated 62,175 people with that name. 1

Brock migration to the United States +

Hundreds of thousands of Europeans, including many Rhinelanders, made the voyage to North America between the 17th and 20th centuries. It was an escape from religious persecution and poverty and also an opportunity for people to start over and own their own land. Most landed at Ellis Island, off New York before moving on to the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, and California. Some also landed in Canada and settled in Ontario, while others headed west to the prairie provinces. A study of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of people bearing the name of Brock, or one of its variants, reaching North America shores very early:

Brock Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Brock, aged 26, who landed in Virginia in 1622 aboard the ship "George" 2
Richard Brock, who arrived in Maryland in 1635 2
William Brock, who landed in Virginia in 1637 2
John Brock, who arrived in New England in 1637 2
William Brock, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1639 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brock Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Misar Brock, who landed in Virginia in 1701 2
Philip Brock, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 2
Robert Brock, who arrived in Virginia in 1722 2
Rudolph Brock, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 2
Friedrich Brock, who settled in Philadelphia in 1733
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brock Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. William Brock, (b. 1798), aged 34, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth aboard the ship “Andromeda” arriving in the United States on 10th May 1832 3
Mr. John Brock, (b. 1805), aged 27, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth aboard the ship “Andromeda” arriving in the United States on 10th May 1832 3
Elisa Brock, who landed in Texas in 1846 2
C Brock, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
R Brock, who landed in New York in 1850 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brock Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. William Brock, (b. 1881), aged 24, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Norway, Michigan, USA 4
William A Brock, who arrived in Colorado in 1906 2

Brock migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brock Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Hans Brock who landed in Canada in 1619

Brock Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Michael Brock, aged 45 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "George" departing 13th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 12th June 1847 but he died on board 5

Brock migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Brock Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Brock, English convict who was convicted in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. Thomas Brock, English convict who was convicted in Devon, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 27th May 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Daniel George Brock, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Royal Admiral" in 1838 8
Maria Brock, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Buckinghamshire" in 1839 9
John Brock, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairfield" in 1839 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brock migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Brock Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Emily Brock, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mersey" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th June 1861 11
Child Brock, (b. 1861), aged Infant, Scottish settler, from Edinburgh travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 12
Mrs. Margaret C. Brock, (b. 1832), aged 29, Scottish settler, from Edinburgh travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 12
Mr. John Brock, (b. 1834), aged 27, Scottish mason, from Edinburgh travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 12
Mr. Samuel Brock, (b. 1836), aged 30, Cornish farm labourer departing on 13th July 1866 aboard the ship "Blue Jacket" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 14th October 1866 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brock migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Brock Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Lawrence Brock, who settled in Barbados in 1635
Mr. Robert Brock, (b. 1610), aged 25, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Anne and Elizabeth" arriving in Barbados in 1635 15
Mr. Lawrence Brock,, (b. 1617), aged 18, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 16

Contemporary Notables of the name Brock (post 1700) +

Sir Isaac Brock (1769-1812), British Major-General and administrator, born in Guernsey, killed in the Battle of Queenston Heights, Niagara Falls, Canada
William Emerson "Bill" Brock III (1930-2021), American Republican politician, 18th United States Secretary of Labor (1985-1987)
Louis Clark Brock (1939-2020), American professional baseball outfielder, inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985
George Brock (1932-2020), billed as Big George Brock, an American blues musician from Grenada, Mississippi
Macon Brock (1942-2017), American retail executive and philanthropist, co-founder of Dollar Tree, Inc., an American chain of discount variety stores
Brigadier-General Ronald Cornelius Brock (1895-1984), American Commanding Officer Artillery 65th Division (1943-1945) 17
William Emerson "Bill" Brock Brock III (b. 1930), American politician, U.S. Senator from Tennessee (1971-1977)
Hella Maria Brock (1919-2020), German music educator and musicologist
Sir Russell Claude Brock (1903-1980), English surgeon, Lord Brock of Wimbledon, pioneer of open-heart surgery
Daniel de Lisle Brock (1762-1842), Bailiff of Guernsey from 1821 to 1842; "he belonged to an English family established in Guernsey as early as the sixteenth century" 18
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Brock family +

Bismarck

Karl Brock (1905-1941), German Stabsmaschinist who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 19

USS Arizona

Mr. Walter Pershing Brock, American Seaman First Class from Alabama, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 20

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 66)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ROYAL ADMIRAL 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838RoyalAdmiral.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Buckinghamshire.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FAIRFIELD 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Fairfield.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 3) Ronald Brock. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Brock/Ronald_Cornelius/USA.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html