🏛️ U.S. Census Surname Profile

How Many People Have the Last Name Brown?

Official Demographic Finding

~1,437,026 People

In official U.S. Decennial Census returns, Brown ranks as the #4 most common surname nationwide, representing approximately 487.16 people per 100,000 Americans.

Surname Snapshot

National Rank

Total Bearers

~1,437,026

Frequency / 100k

487.16

Etymology / Origin

English / Scottish (Descriptive: Brown hair or complexion)

Popular Full Name Combinations with "Brown"

Explore estimated population counts for verified full names ending with Brown:

James Brown~10,710 people →John Brown~2,900 people →Robert Brown~9,930 people →Michael Brown~12,300 people →

Explore Other Common Surnames

Smith (Rank #1)Johnson (Rank #2)Williams (Rank #3)Jones (Rank #5)Garcia (Rank #6)Miller (Rank #7)

U.S. Census Surname Data Provenance

Frequently Occurring Surnames in the United StatesOfficial Link ↗

U.S. Census Bureau Population Division · Decennial Census returns with 100+ occurrences

Data Pipeline Version: 2026.08.14Methodology Version: 1.0.0Read full methodology →

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