Brown
Brown is an English-language surname in origin chiefly descriptive of a person with brown hair, complexion or clothing. It is one of the most common surnames in English-speaking countries. It is the most common surname in Jamaica, the second most common in Canada and the United Kingdom, and the fourth most common in Australia and the United States.
Meaning & Origin of Brown
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Brown is an English-language surname in origin chiefly descriptive of a person with brown hair, complexion or clothing. It is one of the most common surnames in English-speaking countries. It is the most common surname in Jamaica, the second most common in Canada and the United Kingdom, and the fourth most common in Australia and the United States.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Brown
Brown first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1881, with 14 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1918, when 55 Browns were born — ranking #894 that year. As of 2026, Brown ranks #8,250 for baby boys with 9 births, with steady use. In total, more than 1K Browns have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Brown
Phonetically similar names — useful when Brown is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Brown
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About the name Brown
Brown is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1881 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Brown's peak popularity came in 1918 when it ranked #894. Use the chart and map above to compare Brown's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1918 →
- Names of the 1910s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.