Brown/Broun

This descriptive name often appears in Scotland and may refer to hair or complexion. It is most prevalent in areas with a strong Old English or Anglo-Saxon population, but families of this name were present as far north as Aberdeenshire. Colstoun, south of Haddington in East Lothian, was held by the Browns from the 13th century onward. Another family of Brown held Carsluith Castle, south of Creetown in Galloway. There also is a Danish branch of the family, settled at Elsinore.