- Brown (surname)
Brown is a surname of English origin and is one of the most common
family name s in English-speaking countries. According to the 1990 United States Census, Brown is the fifth most common family name in theUnited States at 0.621% of the sample population, essentially identical in frequency to Jones. [United States Census Bureau (9 May 1995). . Retrieved on 25 February 2008.]Etymology
The name is derived from the
Old English , which is related to theOld Norse "brūnn" [cite book | last=Brown | edition=Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1) | url=http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Brown | title=Random House Unabridged Dictionary | location= | publisher=Random House | year=2006 | isbn=] and is the source of the French "brun". It can be traced back to persons who may have had brown eyes, brown hair, or often wore brown clothing. "Brun-" was also a Germanic name-forming element; the Old English "brun" may therefore be a short form of the personal names "Brungar", or "Brunwine".The variant Browne is also common in all parts of Britain and Ireland; in
Galway it is borne by descendants of aNorman knight called Hugo le Brun, who came to Ireland in theTwelfth Century , and has in part beenGaelicised as de Brún.The German cognates are associated with the much more common Continental personal name
Bruno , which was borne by theDukes of Saxony , among others, from theTenth Century or before. It was also the name of several medieval German and Italian saints, including the founder of theCarthusian Order (1030-1101), who was born inCologne .Clan Motto
The Scottish
Clan Brown or Broun uses the motto "Floreat Majestas" which translates as "Let majesty flourish". [http://www.scotsconnection.com/clan_crests/Brown.htm.]References
ee also
*
List of people with surname Brown
*List of Old English (Anglo-Saxon) surnames
*Mister Brown
*Browne
*Braun
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