Brown
A gender-neutral name referencing the rich, earthy color.
Name Census estimates that about 341 living Americans carry the first name Brown. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brown today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brown births was 1918 (55 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brown. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Brown is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Browns were born before 1970.
People living today
341
~ 1 in 1,005,145 Americans
Peak year
1918
55 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
2023 SSA rank
#8,349
Tracked since 1881
Gender
Gender distribution for Brown
Out of the 1,472 babies given the name Brown since 1880, 99.7% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Brown as a male name
- Ranked #8,349 in 2023
- 9 male births in 2023
- Peak: 1918 (55 births)
Brown as a female name
- Ranked #10,459 in 1983
- 5 female births in 1983
- Peak: 1983 (5 births)
Popularity
Brown: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brown from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 320 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brown by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Brown during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Browns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia recorded the most babies named Brown, while Arkansas, Virginia, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 28 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Brown
The given name Brown is an English name derived from the Old English word "brun", meaning "brown" or "dusky". This name has its origins in the medieval period, when it was used to describe a person's physical appearance, specifically referring to their brown hair or complexion.
The earliest recorded use of Brown as a given name dates back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was John Brown, a English monk and chronicler who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. He is best known for his work, the "Chronica Monasterii de Bello", which documented the history of the Battle Abbey in Sussex, England.
Another notable figure with the name Brown was Robert Brown, a Scottish botanist and paleobotanist who lived from 1773 to 1858. He is renowned for his contributions to plant taxonomy and the discovery of the cell nucleus, earning him the title "the Father of Microscopical Observation".
In the realm of literature, Charles Brockden Brown (1771-1810) was an American novelist and historian, often regarded as the first professional American writer of fiction. His works, such as "Wieland" and "Arthur Mervyn", played a significant role in shaping the early American literary tradition.
The name Brown also has a notable presence in the world of politics. John Brown (1800-1859) was an American abolitionist who became famous for his raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, an event that is widely regarded as a catalyst for the American Civil War.
Another influential figure bearing this name was James Brown (1933-2006), an American singer, songwriter, and dancer widely recognized as the "Godfather of Soul". His dynamic stage presence, innovative music, and influential style have left an indelible mark on the music industry and popular culture.
These examples illustrate the diverse and rich history associated with the given name Brown, spanning various fields and time periods, from medieval monks and botanists to literary pioneers, political activists, and iconic musicians.
People
Brown + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brown as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Brown: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brown?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 341 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brown going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,005,145 US residents.
Is Brown a common name?
We classify Brown as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,472 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brown most popular?
The single biggest year for Brown was 1918, when 55 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brown is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Brown a male name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Brown in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.