Given name & surname
Brown
“one who has a russet complexion”
Brown is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “one who has a russet complexion.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “one who has a russet complexion.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
In English usage, Brown as a surname developed from Braun.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Brown through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,482
- 1,477 boys · 5 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 55 babies
- 2025
- 10
- #7,764 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,764 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 55 in 1918. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,497 as a first name in 2020; 1,386,083 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Brown’s family of names
In English usage, Brown as a surname has a nickname in BROWNIE. In English usage, Brown as a surname shares a linguistic root with the Italian form Bruno. Brown has a related form in Bron.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Brown has relatives in 13 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Bronvariant
- Brownienickname · English
- Brownynickname · English
- Brownevariant · English
- Bronevariant
- Brunevariant · German
- Brunvariant · French, Norwegian
- Brounevariant
Show 1 moreShow fewer
Across languages 28
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Brown, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Boswell
“from the spring near the forest”
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Harwood
“from the hare's forest”
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Holmes
“from the river island”
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“from the field near the small river”
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Morley
“woman from the moor” · “from the meadow on the moor”
92% boys · 8% girls
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“from the bright forest”
>99% boys
Glade
“from the meadow in the C woods” · “from the clearing in the woods”
>99% boys
Crompton
“river bend”
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