What does the Brown surname reveal about your family history?
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. Here are a few more facts to get you started…
10196 Browns were recorded as working in domestic service in the 1901 Census.
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