Find out how popular the last name Brownlee is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Brownlee.

Brownlee, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Brownlee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brownlee in America

Brownlee is the 3186th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brownlee surname appeared 11,344 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Brownlee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brownlee to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Brownlee

The surname Brownlee originates from the Scottish Lowlands, deriving from the Gaelic words 'brun' meaning 'brown' and 'leth' meaning 'half' or 'side'. It is believed to have first appeared in the 14th century as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a brown hillside or brown meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brownlee can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1456, where a John Brownlee is mentioned as a landowner in Lanarkshire. The name also appears in various charters and legal documents from the 15th and 16th centuries, often in the spelling variations of Brounlie, Brouneley, or Brouneley.

In the 17th century, the Brownlees were prominent landowners and farmers in the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the areas around Selkirk and Roxburghshire. One notable figure from this era was Robert Brownlee (1610-1677), a minister and prominent figure in the Presbyterian Church of Scotland during the Covenanter Rebellion against Charles I.

The Brownlees also played a role in the Jacobite Risings of the 18th century, with some members supporting the Jacobite cause and others remaining loyal to the Hanoverian monarchy. One such figure was James Brownlee (1712-1785), a soldier who fought for the British Crown during the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

As the Brownlees spread beyond Scotland, the name also gained a foothold in England and Ireland. One notable English Brownlee was Thomas Brownlee (1817-1899), a renowned architect who designed several prominent buildings in London, including the London Pavilion and the Royal College of Music.

In the 19th century, many Brownlees emigrated to the United States and Canada, where the name continues to be prevalent today. One notable American Brownlee was William Craig Brownlee (1783-1860), a politician and lawyer who served as a United States Representative from Pennsylvania.

Other notable individuals with the surname Brownlee include:

• Walter Brownlee (1869-1946), a Scottish professional golfer and winner of the 1905 Open Championship.
• Joanna Brownlee (1896-1983), an American artist and painter known for her portraits and landscape paintings.
• John Brownlee (1900-1969), an Australian-born operatic baritone who performed extensively in Europe and the United States.
• Thomas Brownlee (1933-2021), a Canadian politician and former Premier of Prince Edward Island.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brownlee

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Brownlee.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Brownlee was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Brownlee has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Brownlee was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Brownlee, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!