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

Brown-Williams, 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 Brown-Williams surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brown-Williams in America

Brown-Williams is the 98099th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brown-Williams surname appeared 185 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Brown-Williams.

The history of the last name Brown-Williams

The surname BROWNWILLIAMS is a double-barrelled surname of English origin, combining the two common surnames Brown and Williams. The name likely emerged in the 17th or 18th century as a result of the amalgamation of two families through marriage or inheritance.

The first part of the name, Brown, has its roots in the Old English word "brun," meaning "brown" or "dusky complexioned." It was initially used as a nickname for someone with a dark or swarthy complexion but eventually became a hereditary surname. The Williams component of the surname is a patronymic name derived from the personal name William, which is of Germanic origin and means "resolute protector."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the BROWNWILLIAMS surname can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, where a John BROWNWILLIAMS was baptized in 1702. Another early reference is the marriage of Thomas BROWNWILLIAMS and Elizabeth Smith in 1726 in the parish of St. Giles, Cripplegate, London.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the BROWNWILLIAMS surname include Sir Robert BROWNWILLIAMS (1776-1848), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament. Another figure was Elizabeth BROWNWILLIAMS (1832-1919), a British philanthropist and social reformer who founded several organizations dedicated to improving the lives of working-class women and children.

In the literary world, Thomas BROWNWILLIAMS (1861-1942) was a renowned English poet and essayist whose works explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition. Meanwhile, in the realm of science, Dr. Mary BROWNWILLIAMS (1901-1982) made significant contributions to the field of genetics, particularly in the study of plant chromosomes.

One of the most notable historical figures bearing the BROWNWILLIAMS surname was Captain John BROWNWILLIAMS (1842-1894), a British explorer and adventurer who led several expeditions to Africa in the late 19th century, including one in search of the source of the Nile River.

While the BROWNWILLIAMS surname is not among the most common in the English-speaking world, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions across various fields throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brown-Williams

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Brown-Williams.

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 Brown-Williams 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.

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 Brown-Williams was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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