The Brown surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 1,437,026 people carried this name — #4 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 205 people counted. That is up 4% from 1,380,145 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Brown surname
From Middle English Broun, originally a nickname for someone with brown hair or a dark complexion. In the United States, sometimes an anglicization and translation of German Braun.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Brown» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 327 births for the Brown name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 14,500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim, Londonderry, Down, and Dublin.”
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 1,714 people named Brown live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
668 people named Brown live in Switzerland.
They live in 21 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 572 people named Brown.
Most of them — 365 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 36 départements, most often Paris.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Poland’s population register
220 people named Brown have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 628 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in all 16 of Poland’s voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 171 people named Brown live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Brussels-Capital.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
1,372 people named Brown are counted in Sweden, Norway and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Norway publishes only surnames with 200 or more bearers. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Statistics Norway (SSB, ssb.no), table 12891, 2025 — CC BY 4.0 · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Brown in American newspapers,
1881–1927.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 8,338,675 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Brown,
with a public archive behind them.
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Ed Brown d. 1844 · baseball player -
John Brown d. 1762 · military personnel
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John Brown d. 1654 · politician
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Kent R. Brown d. 2020 · playwright
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Nicholas Brown d. 1726 · pirate
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Edwin Brown d. 1876 · naturalist
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Brown.
- Brouillet 457 · U.S. census
- Broussard 26,971 · U.S. census
- Brousseau 2,662 · U.S. census
- Brouwer 2,870 · U.S. census
- Brouwers 238 · U.S. census
- Brovelli 123 · U.S. census
- Browne 22,289 · U.S. census
- Broy 441 · U.S. census
- Broyard 134 · U.S. census
- Broyer 209 · U.S. census
- Brozek 906 · U.S. census
- Bru 322 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Brown is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.