Origins of the Brown surname

What does the name Brown mean?

Brown is a common surname with a number of points of origin, most commonly being a descriptive name relating to someone with brown hair, clothing or complexion. The name has multiple roots, from the Old English word 'brun', Middle English 'broun', Norse 'brunn', and French 'brun'. Brown is the second most common surname in Canada, and the third most common in Australia and the UK, with a particular prevalence in southern Scotland. Brown can sometimes arise from an anglicisation of other surnames (especially in the United States) such as Braun from Germany and Bruno from Italy.

Alternative variations of the name Brown

Brown, Browne, Brun, Broun, Broune

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Delve deeper into the Brown family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 15681North West 4814Isle of Man 174Yorkshire 17503East Midlands 6733West Midlands 6982East 9691London 31606South East 14288South West 4325South Wales 2217Mid Wales 316West Wales 81North Wales 359Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Browns lived in london

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Interesting facts about Brown

How common is your surname?

4th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Brown surname. The oldest one dates back to 1100.

Who were Browns most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Browns.

What are the most common Brown first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Brown family members
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Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Browns

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Commmon female occupations for Browns in 1921

Dressmaker

8,921

Domestic Servant

5,454

Laundress

5,070

General Servant Domestic

3,966

General Servant

3,684

Commmon male occupations for Browns in 1921

Coal Miner

10,594

Agricultural Labourer

7,701

General Labourer

7,642

Farmer

5,883

Farm Labourer

4,572

We found over 1,800,000 family trees with the Brown surname

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