Brown
The surname Brown is a descriptive nickname first recorded in the 11th century, with documented origins in England, Scotland, and Ireland. In each tradition it arose independently, meaning…
Names. Origins. Stories.
Explore family names, one letter at a time. Discover meanings, origins, spelling variations, and the sources that can lead you to your next research step.
Find your family nameA little curiosity goes a long way
Search a name or choose a letter below.
Search published surname names. Apostrophes, spaces, hyphens, and accents are ignored when matching.
Showing 13–24 of 118 profiles
The surname Brown is a descriptive nickname first recorded in the 11th century, with documented origins in England, Scotland, and Ireland. In each tradition it arose independently, meaning…
The surname Byrne is primarily an Irish patronymic meaning “descendant of Bran” (raven). It also has an English variant derived from Berne or Burn. The name has multiple…
The surname Cameron derives from Gaelic elements meaning “crooked nose” or a reference to a river, and it can also come from place names in Scotland. It is…
The Campbell surname is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic nickname cam beul meaning “wry or crooked mouth.” The name also appears in Latin documents as de…
The surname Carter is an English occupational name meaning a person who drove or built a cart. It originated in medieval England and has variants across several European…
The surname Chandler derives from an Old French occupational name meaning “candle maker.” It first appears in medieval England in the late 13th century. The name is English…
The surname Clark derives from the Old English occupational name for a clerk or scribe, ultimately from Latin clericus. It is also used as an anglicized form of…
The Cook surname is an occupational name of English origin, meaning a person who prepares food. It arises from Old English cōc and has been recorded in medieval…
The Cooper surname is an occupational name from Middle English "couper" or "cowper", meaning a maker or repairer of wooden barrels. In Scotland the same spelling also arose…
The Davies surname is a patronymic name of Welsh origin, meaning "son of David". It evolved from the Welsh "ap Dafydd" and later appeared as "Davies" in English records.…
The surname Davis is a patronymic name meaning "son of David", with independent origins in both England and Wales. In England it may derive from the nickname Davy…
De Jong is a Dutch descriptive surname meaning "the young" or junior. It is the most common name in the Netherlands but its earliest documented form is not…
This directory includes published profiles. Editorial review status appears on each card. A surname can have more than one origin or formation type.
Another way to explore
A trade, a place, a parent’s name. Follow the patterns that helped shape family names.