Contents [hide]

Brownlee History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Brownlee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

In ancient Scotland, Brownlee was a Strathclyde-Briton name for someone who lived in either of two settlements called Brownlee in the counties of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire.

Early Origins of the Brownlee family

The surname Brownlee was first found in Scotland where "Wedow" Brounlees was tenant on lands under Newbotle Abbey in 1563. Later, "Gavin Brwnelie was heir to James Brwnelie in Kinpuntmyln, 1608 and Issobell Brounleis was tenant on lands of Kelso Abbey in 1567. Janet Brownlee or Brownlees is recorded in Ersiltoune, 1653, John Brounllyes in Chappell, 1659, and James Brounleyis there in 1661. Nathaniel Brounlie in Mauldslie, 1685, and John Brounlie in Toun of Belsraine, parish of Carluke, 1624, and five more are recorded in Lanark Commissariot Record. " 1

In England, Robert de Browlegh was listed in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1310 and later, Cuthbert Brownles was a Freeman of York in 1485. This branch is from Brownlee, in Scotland, meaning "'dweller at the brown clearing" 2

Early History of the Brownlee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brownlee research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1553, 1560, 1567, 1583, 1591, 1606, 1637, 1638, 1886 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Brownlee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brownlee Spelling Variations

In Medieval times, spelling and translation were not nearly so highly developed as today. They were generally carried out according to the sound and intuition of the bearer. For that reason spelling variations are extremely common among early Scottish names. Brownlee has been spelled Brownlee, Brownlea, Brownlie, Brownlees, Brownley, Brownlow, Brownless, Brownlee, Brunlee, Brunlees, Brownleis, Brounley and many more.

Early Notables of the Brownlee family

Notable among the family at this time was Richard Brownlow (1553-1638), chief prothonotary of the court of common pleas, the son of John Brownlow of High Holborn, by a daughter of Sir John Zouch of Stoughton Grange, Leicestershire. "He was born 2 April 1553, and baptised 12 April at St. Andrew's, Holborn. In 1583 he was entered at the Inner Temple, and was treasurer of that society in 1606. On 9 Oct. 1591 he was made chief prothonotary of the court of common pleas, which office he continued to hold until his death, deriving from it an annual profit of...
Another 99 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brownlee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brownlee Ranking

In the United States, the name Brownlee is the 2,752^nd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Brownlee family to Ireland

Some of the Brownlee family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brownlee migration to the United States +

Unrest, poverty, and persecution caused thousands to look for opportunity and freedom in the North American colonies. The crossing was long, overcrowded, and unsanitary, though, and came only at great expense. Many Strathclyde families settled on the east coast of North America in communities that would form the backbone of what would become the great nations of the United States and Canada. The American War of Independence caused those who remained loyal to England to move north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the 20th century, Strathclyde and other Scottish families across North America began to recover their collective heritage through highland games and Clan societies. Among them:

Brownlee Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Alice, Ann, George, James, Jane, John Brownlee, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1770

Brownlee Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Craig Brownlee, who arrived in America in 1808 4
John Brownlee, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1820 4
James Brownlee, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 4
Robert, Thomas and William Brownlee, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1813 and 1866
Robert Brownlee, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1868 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brownlee migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Brownlee Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Alice Brownlee, aged 18, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Aliquis"
Mary Ann Brownlee, aged 22, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Aliquis"
Mary Brownlee, aged 18, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"

Brownlee migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Brownlee Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Brownlee, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Bruce" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 12th September 1860 5
Mr. Gavin Brownlee, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Bruce" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 12th September 1860 5
J. Brownlee, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ulcoats" in 1864

Contemporary Notables of the name Brownlee (post 1700) +

Robert Gregg Brownlee (1942-1991), American chemist from South Dakota, founder of Brownlee Labs in the 1970s
Romer Leslie "Les" Brownlee, American Army officer and politician, Acting United States Secretary of the Army (2003-2004), United States Under Secretary of the Army (2001-2004)
William Craig Brownlee (1784-1860), Scottish-born, American clergyman
Edward Malcolm Brownlee, American sculptor
Donald E. Brownlee, American astronomer
Frank Brownlee (1874-1948), American film actor
Ken Brownlee (1933-2022), Scottish professional footballer who played as a left-half from 1955 to 1972
Derek Brownlee (b. 1974), Scottish politician
Robin Brownlee (1958-2024), Canadian hockey journalist and radio host who covered the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League for the Edmonton Journal and the Edmonton Sun from 1989 to 2007 and later for Canadian Press and NHL.com
Alistair Edward Brownlee M.B.E., (b. 1988), British triathlete. He holds two Olympic titles in the triathlon event, winning gold medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and won Olympic Gold. He is also a two-time Triathlon World Champion (2009, 2011), a two-time World Team Champion (2011, 2014), a four-time European Champion (2010, 2011, 2014, 2019), and the 2014 Commonwealth champion. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2013, he came 2nd in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards in 2016
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html