Show ContentsBrowe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Browe family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Norfolk. Historians disagree on which of three regions of Normandy the name is drawn from, Brix, Le Brus, or Briouze, but whatever the region the name is clearly from Normandy.

Early Origins of the Browe family

The surname Browe was first found in Suffolk at Little Wenham, a parish, in the incorporation and hundred of Samford. "The church contains memorials to the family of Brewes. Here are the remains of an old castellated mansion, the seat of that ancient family, by whom it appears to have been erected in 1569; it has been converted into a granary." [1]

Early History of the Browe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Browe research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1500 is included under the topic Early Browe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Browe Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Browe were recorded, including Brewes, Brews, Brewe, Brewse, Brewis, Brew, Brewas, Brewase, Brue, MacBrew and many more.

Early Notables of the Browe family

More information is included under the topic Early Browe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Browe family to Ireland

Some of the Browe family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Browe migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Browe arrived in North America very early:

Browe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Weston Browe, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Browe (post 1700) +

  • William C. Browe, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Salt Lake City, Utah, 1886-87 [3]


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook