기원 및 역사

Descriptive surname derived from Old English and Old Norse 'brun', referring to a person with brown hair, complexion, or clothing. The name was common across medieval Britain and Scandinavia, and its Norse strand reflects the extensive Viking settlement of northern and eastern Scotland. Brown has been among the top two or three surnames in Scotland for centuries, concentrated particularly in the Lowlands and north-east. The Scots Gaelic form 'Donn' (brown) occasionally underlies the name in Gaelic-speaking areas.