NameCensus.

UK surname

Browne

Descriptive surname for someone with brown hair, complexion, or clothing.

In the 1881 census there were 5,446 people recorded with the Browne surname, ranking it #819 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 13,053, ranked #495, up from #819 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Norfolk, Leeds and Norwich.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Browne is 13,257 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 139.7%.

1881 census count

5,446

Ranked #819

Modern count

13,053

2016, ranked #495

Peak year

2010

13,257 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Browne had 5,446 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #819 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 13,053 in 2016, ranked #495.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,016 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Browne surname distribution map

The map shows where the Browne surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Browne surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Browne over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 3,818 #744
1861 historical 3,195 #900
1881 historical 5,446 #819
1891 historical 5,393 #868
1901 historical 6,600 #839
1911 historical 8,016 #632
1997 modern 12,425 #492
1998 modern 12,850 #497
1999 modern 12,909 #497
2000 modern 12,843 #498
2001 modern 12,477 #499
2002 modern 12,907 #489
2003 modern 12,492 #500
2004 modern 12,462 #499
2005 modern 12,283 #499
2006 modern 12,396 #493
2007 modern 12,473 #494
2008 modern 12,481 #499
2009 modern 12,855 #497
2010 modern 13,257 #492
2011 modern 13,019 #494
2012 modern 12,843 #492
2013 modern 13,146 #492
2014 modern 13,214 #493
2015 modern 13,086 #494
2016 modern 13,053 #495

Geography

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Where Brownes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Lambeth and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Norfolk, Leeds and Norwich. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Norfolk 011 South Norfolk
2 Leeds 042 Leeds
3 Norwich 006 Norwich
4 Norwich 013 Norwich
5 Norwich 005 Norwich

Forenames

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First names often paired with Browne

These lists show first names that appear often with the Browne surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Browne

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Browne, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Browne surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Browne household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Browne is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Browne is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Browne falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Browne is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Browne, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Browne

The surname Browne is of English origin and dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period, derived from the Old English word "brun" meaning "brown" or "dark-haired". It was originally a descriptive nickname given to someone with brown hair or a dark complexion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Brun" and "le Brun". The Domesday Book was a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.

The name Browne is widely distributed throughout England, with early records showing concentrations in counties such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Suffolk. It was also commonly found in Scotland, where it was often spelled "Broun".

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, including "le Brun", "Brun", and "le Broun". These variations were a result of the Norman influence on the English language after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682), an English scholar, physician, and author, best known for his works "Religio Medici" and "Pseudodoxia Epidemica". Another notable figure was Robert Browne (c.1550-1633), an English puritan who is considered the founder of the Brownists, a Protestant sect that later influenced the Pilgrims who settled in America.

Other notable individuals with the surname Browne include: - William Browne (1591-1643), an English poet and pastoral writer. - Sir Thomas Browne (1672-1710), an English mathematician and philosopher. - Hablot Knight Browne (1815-1882), an English artist and caricaturist known by his pen name "Phiz", who illustrated works by Charles Dickens and others. - Maximilian Ulysses Browne (1705-1757), an Austrian field marshal who served in the Austrian army during the War of the Austrian Succession.

The name Browne has also been associated with various place names, such as Browne's Folly in Bath, England, and Browne's Hospital in Waterford, Ireland, both named after individuals with the surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Browne families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Browne surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 1,073 Brownes recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.01x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,073 2.01x
Norfolk 848 10.31x
Lancashire 558 0.88x
Surrey 460 1.76x
Kent 235 1.29x
Devon 199 1.79x
Yorkshire 199 0.38x
Hampshire 135 1.23x
Suffolk 131 2.01x
Essex 126 1.19x
Warwickshire 115 0.85x
Gloucestershire 113 1.08x
Sussex 113 1.25x
Staffordshire 77 0.43x
Somerset 72 0.84x
Nottinghamshire 66 0.92x
Cheshire 64 0.54x
Shropshire 57 1.23x
Lincolnshire 52 0.61x
Lanarkshire 50 0.29x
Derbyshire 49 0.59x
Northumberland 49 0.62x
Berkshire 44 1.10x
Leicestershire 44 0.74x
Durham 43 0.27x
Hertfordshire 34 0.92x
Westmorland 33 2.81x
Glamorgan 30 0.32x
Isle of Man 29 2.92x
Midlothian 29 0.40x
Wiltshire 26 0.55x
Monmouthshire 23 0.59x
Worcestershire 22 0.31x
Cambridgeshire 20 0.59x
Buckinghamshire 19 0.59x
Cumberland 19 0.41x
Northamptonshire 18 0.36x
Brecknockshire 16 1.50x
Oxfordshire 16 0.48x
Renfrewshire 15 0.36x
Ayrshire 14 0.35x
Flintshire 14 0.97x
Dorset 13 0.37x
Herefordshire 13 0.59x
Channel Islands 12 0.76x
Cornwall 12 0.20x
Kirkcudbrightshire 8 1.03x
Royal Navy 8 1.25x
Carmarthenshire 7 0.31x
Aberdeenshire 6 0.12x
Denbighshire 6 0.30x
Fife 6 0.19x
Caernarfonshire 5 0.23x
Huntingdonshire 5 0.47x
Montgomeryshire 5 0.41x
Roxburghshire 5 0.52x
Selkirkshire 4 0.83x
Berwickshire 2 0.31x
Caithness 2 0.27x
Cardiganshire 2 0.15x
Dunbartonshire 2 0.14x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.12x
Stirlingshire 2 0.10x
Argyllshire 1 0.07x
Banffshire 1 0.09x
Bedfordshire 1 0.04x
Inverness-shire 1 0.06x
Perthshire 1 0.04x
West Lothian 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Heigham in Norfolk leads with 146 Brownes recorded in 1881 and an index of 33.07x.

Place Total Index
Heigham 146 33.07x
Islington London 121 2.33x
St Pancras London 114 2.65x
Hackney London 97 3.23x
St Marylebone London 79 2.77x
Kensington London 77 2.59x
Lambeth 72 1.54x
Great Yarmouth 71 10.42x
Liverpool 63 1.63x
Aston 60 1.62x
Camberwell 59 1.73x
Everton 48 2.37x
Croydon 47 3.25x
Kingston On Thames 46 7.35x
Hammersmith London 45 3.41x
St George Hanover Square 45 4.77x
West Derby 45 2.42x
Paddington London 41 2.08x
Toxteth Park 40 1.86x
Lakenham 39 33.37x
Newington 39 1.97x
Shoreditch London 39 1.68x
Chelsea London 37 2.30x
West Ham 37 1.59x
Harberton 35 138.01x
Ashwellthorpe 33 486.73x
Leicester St Margaret 33 2.28x
Clifton 30 5.66x
Poplar London 30 2.97x
Holy Trinity 29 2.27x
Nottingham St Mary 28 1.50x
Tottenham 28 3.29x
Hampstead London 26 3.12x
Caistor Next Yarmouth 25 86.36x
Manchester 25 0.88x
Barony 24 0.55x
Norwich St James 24 37.19x
Streatham 24 6.05x
Troutbeck 24 293.76x
Great Grimsby 23 4.24x
Salford 23 1.23x
Thorpe Next Norwich 23 26.38x
Bermondsey 22 1.38x
Lowestoft 22 7.15x
Brighton 21 1.15x
Hornsey 21 3.10x
Leeds 21 0.70x
Portsea 21 0.98x
Tormoham 21 4.46x
Bromley London 19 1.61x
Greenwich 19 2.23x
Leyton 19 10.45x
Govan 18 0.42x
Wymondham 18 21.40x
Birmingham 17 0.38x
Kirkdale 17 1.59x
Parr 17 7.49x
Plumstead 17 2.79x
Terrington St Clement 17 45.76x
Aldershot 16 4.36x
Battersea 16 0.81x
Llandaff 16 5.16x
Norwich St Giles 16 60.77x
Woolwich 16 2.37x
Norwich St Benedict 15 40.92x
Plymouth St Andrew 15 1.75x
Uley 15 78.33x
Wigan 15 1.69x
Bawburgh 14 180.41x
Beith 14 11.72x
Cheltenham 14 1.73x
Moss Side 14 4.19x
Reading St Mary 14 4.35x
St Andrew Holborn London 14 6.04x
Thames Ditton 14 25.85x
Tonbridge 14 2.13x
Bury St Edmunds St James 13 7.47x
Liscard 13 6.11x
Norwich St Stephen 13 17.22x
Radford 13 3.55x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Browne surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 321
Elizabeth 178
Sarah 135
Alice 94
Ellen 80
Jane 75
Eliza 74
Emily 74
Annie 67
Emma 66
Ann 65
Louisa 51
Caroline 49
Margaret 49
Edith 47
Harriet 45
Charlotte 42
Maria 42
Florence 41
Hannah 38
Agnes 37
Catherine 37
Frances 35
Kate 30
Anna 29
Fanny 28
Jessie 26
Clara 25
Anne 24
Sophia 24
Ethel 22
Rose 22
Ada 21
Amy 20
Martha 20
Isabella 19
Lucy 19
Laura 18
Esther 17
Gertrude 17
Matilda 17
Beatrice 16
Minnie 15
Susan 14
Susannah 14
Amelia 13
Harriett 13
Helen 12
Julia 12
Mabel 12

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Browne surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 268
John 201
George 185
James 132
Thomas 118
Charles 106
Henry 98
Arthur 74
Edward 70
Robert 65
Frederick 61
Alfred 55
Walter 51
Joseph 45
Harry 36
Samuel 36
Herbert 27
Albert 22
Ernest 22
Frank 22
Benjamin 21
Richard 20
Edwin 17
Thos. 17
Harold 16
Francis 15
Wm. 15
David 13
Percy 12
Chas. 11
Geo. 11
Horace 11
Alexander 10
Fredk. 9
Peter 9
Philip 9
Jas. 8
Michael 8
Andrew 7
Lewis 7
Stephen 7
W. 7
Anthony 6
Augustus 6
Daniel 6
Patrick 6
Reginald 6
Tom 6
Willm. 6
Roland 5

FAQ

Browne surname: questions and answers

How common was the Browne surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,446 people were recorded with the Browne surname. That placed it at #819 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Browne surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 13,053 in 2016. That gives Browne a modern rank of #495.

What does the Browne surname mean?

Descriptive surname for someone with brown hair, complexion, or clothing.

What does the Browne map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Browne bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.