Brown

What does the name Brown mean?

The origins of this surname relate to the colour brown featuring as part of a person's appearance. This could have been due to their hair colour, complexion or a tendency to wear predominantly brown clothing. The name is thought to derive from the Old English first name Brun, meaning brown. Celebrated Browns include soul man James Brown, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Titanic survivor and actress Molly Brown.

The earliest occurrence of the Brown surname in our family history documents is from 1391, and we currently have 12,206,549 records where Brown appears.

We found more Browns in other family trees.

Start your family tree

to discover them.

Typical jobs for Browns

Hard-working people, the Browns. 10196 worked in domestic service, according to the 1901 Census.

Where most Browns lived

In the 1900s, you’d probably bump into a Brown in London.

Browns’ criminal history

How do we put this... Not all Browns were angels, apparently. We found 17319 in criminal records.

Browns in World War I

According to the World War I records, 15615 Browns served in the First World War.

Start your family tree