Brown
The origin of the surname Brown
Brown described a person with brown hair or a brown complexion.
What kind of surname is Brown?
As a descriptive surname (or nickname name), the surname Brown arose from a personal characteristic — a physical trait, a quality of temperament, or a distinguishing feature of its first bearer. Communities have always coined nicknames, and in the age before fixed surnames these vivid, affectionate or teasing labels — referring to hair colour, stature, complexion or character — frequently became hereditary. Descriptive surnames give an unusually human glimpse of an ancestor, hinting at how they looked or how they were regarded by the people around them.
How English surnames work
English surnames became hereditary between roughly the 12th and 15th centuries and fall into four great classes: occupational (Smith, Baker, Wright), locational (Hill, Wood, Preston), patronymic (Johnson, Wilson, Richardson) and descriptive nicknames (Brown, Long, Little). Many were shaped by both Anglo-Saxon and Norman-French influence, and a great number spread worldwide through emigration and empire, which is why English surnames are among the most common family names across the English-speaking world.
Variants & spellings
- Browne
Frequently asked questions
What does the surname Brown mean?
The surname Brown means Brown-haired or -complexioned. Brown described a person with brown hair or a brown complexion.
Where does the surname Brown come from?
Brown is a surname of English origin.
What kind of surname is Brown?
Brown is a descriptive surname, originally describing a physical or personal characteristic.
How common is the surname Brown in the United States?
Brown is the 4th most common surname in the United States (2010 U.S. Census), recorded for about 1,380,145 people.