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

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

Popularity of Williams-Brown in America

Williams-Brown is the 95955th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Williams-Brown surname appeared 190 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 Williams-Brown.

We can also compare 2010 data for Williams-Brown 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 Williams-Brown

The surname Williamsbrown is a relatively rare and composite surname, believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, approximately the 14th to 15th centuries. This surname is a portmanteau of two common English surnames: Williams and Brown. The name Williams is a patronymic surname, derived from the given name William. William itself comes from the Old Norman French Willaume, which in turn comes from the Germanic name Wilhelm, composed of the elements "wil" meaning "will" or "desire" and "helm" meaning "helmet" or "protection." The surname Brown, on the other hand, is descriptive and originates from the Old English word "brun," meaning "brown," describing either the complexion or hair color of the first bearers of the name.

The name Williamsbrown is thought to have first appeared in rural areas of England, where local customs sometimes saw the merging of two families' names during marriage or through noteworthy alliances. Although it doesn't appear in early historical documents like the Domesday Book, its components—Williams and Brown—are well documented.

One of the earliest documented individuals bearing the composite surname Williamsbrown is John Williamsbrown, recorded in 1502 in Sussex. His family was reportedly known for holding significant lands in the area, indicating their prominence. Another early instance is the case of Margaret Williamsbrown, mentioned in a 1570 parish record from Norfolk, indicating the spread of the name outside its initial region.

The name continued to gain minor but widespread recognition through the centuries. Sir Thomas Williamsbrown (1679-1742), a noted scholar and member of the Royal Society, made significant contributions to early scientific literature. His works on natural history were renowned in academic circles of the 18th century.

Moving into the 19th century, the name appears in various British colonies. David Williamsbrown (1803-1865) was a well-known merchant and plantation owner in Jamaica, highlighting the movement of the name beyond British shores. His commercial ventures made him a notable figure in Caribbean economic history.

In the arts, Emily Williamsbrown (1864-1921), a distinguishable painter from Leeds, gained acclaim for her landscape paintings, which were exhibited widely in Britain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her works today are part of several regional museum collections.

Williamsbrown remains a unique and interesting surname, blending two well-documented English lineage names into a name that bears both historical depth and a trace of familial union or alliance from its inception.

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

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Williams-Brown, 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!