Meaning of Last Name

Meaning: 7th century Old English word "brun" or the Old Norse personal name "Bruni".

Origins: Scotland, England, United States, Germany

Brown is a surname of English and Scottish origin. It also originates independently in the United States, as an Anglicization of several other surnames, such as the German Braun. Among the earliest recorded Browns is John Brown of Stamford, Lincolnshire, England in 1312. Brown is one of the most common family names in English-speaking countries. It is the fourth most common surname in the United Kingdom. According to the 1990 United States Census, Brown is the fifth most common family name in the United States at 0.621% of the sample population, essentially identical in frequency to Jones.