Show ContentsBrowe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In the Middle Ages, the first family to use the Browe surname took the name from a place name with Viking roots. They lived in the places named Overbrough and Netherbrough in Harray, in the Orkney Islands. It is believed that the origins of the Browe name are Norse, but it is not known if the place or personal name came first.

Early Origins of the Browe family

The surname Browe was first found in the Orkneys, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Browe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Browe research. Another 204 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1530, 1557, 1600, 1643 and 1671 are included under the topic Early Browe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Browe Spelling Variations

In the Middle Ages, no real standards were established to judge the accuracy of spelling and translation. They were done mostly by ear and intuition, and enormous numbers of spelling variations were the unsurprising result. Browe has appeared as Brough, Burgh, Brugh, Broughe, Burghe, Brughe, Bruche 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.


United States Browe migration to the United States +

North America was far from Britain's oppressive monarchy. There, the Scottish found land and freedom, and many even the opportunity to pay back England in the American War of Independence. This brave heritage survives today largely in Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Browe family in North America:

Browe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Weston Browe, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Browe (post 1700) +

  • William C. Browe, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Salt Lake City, Utah, 1886-87 2


  1. 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)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook