where did the name Brown,originate and why is it so common,no stupid replies please its my family name,Thank u

Answer 1

Brown Surname Origin:
(Origin Scottish) A name derived from complexion, colour of hair or garments, and consequently, a very common name.

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Answer 2

I wouldn't call any of the people who responded to your question wrong but i have been told some surnames came about when families immigrated to this country. The people at ellis island and other ports had so many people of so many ethnicities with so many names come thru there they didn't want to take the time to learn / spell thier names. So if they had a difficult last name they would pass out names like "Smith" or "Brown" just to make thier jobs easier. The other people are right too The name Brown could have come about from having brown hair just like Johnson literally means "John's son".

Answer 3

I saw that on TV once, a programme about surnames, the woman said that in the smaller villages, people were sometimes given their surnames by their distinctive features, and Brown originated literally by having brown hair, which is why it is very common.

Answer 4

Hi there. Brown is a very popular name in the Laois area (ireland) are you in Ireland. My grandmother was a Brown. Her father came to this town unable to read or write but a great business man. He sold fish from a cart. He went on to own half of the town. Literally. Farms, shops, banks, you name it he owned it. My Grandmother was one of 17 children. Unfortunately my great grandfather left all of the inheritance to his eldest son who was not such a great business man. Or his sons after him. The Brown empire dwindled. Although there are still some Brown shops in the town. My cousin known as Stapo, owns five launderettes and a snooker hall so the ambition has carried down. Where are your family from? I would be interested to find out the same as you. Maybe we are related!!

Answer 5

It never came from skin-tone. It originated from the brown-sword which in Anglo Saxon Britain was Broen (which simply meant the greek braun) - physical strength. But to which later, in medieval times actually referred more precisely to one of many sword guild trades where when the sword was on the verge of rusting, it was at it's sharpest. The o and e were joined together and to which the modern welsh (1250c) began using it as broen. But the Britons themselves had come to write it as Brown some hundreds of years down the line.

How the Brown became a colour, is thus directly because of the rusting of the sword that gave it more strength but then broen came to mean the colour of rust rather than the strength of the sword. The brown's then became seperate from the brown-sword and thus is why we have brown and brown-sword still as sir names.

Answer 6

It was made up. Many surnames that are colour names were used by newly freed slaves. Surnames were invented sometime in the 1200's and usually described the person's occupation. Although the imgination isn't that great, the symbolism of becoming a person's own is significant. Those who sought to hide their heritage changed it to a colour. Some kept the name of their slave owners and changed the spelling.

Answer 7

my book on surnames says it simply means the colour brown, the pale skinned english labelled anyone with darker skin as 'brown'.