Drown History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The surname Drown is derived from the Middle English word "drane," or drone, which is the male honey bee. 1
Early Origins of the Drown family
The surname Drown was first found in Yorkshire where according to the Hundredorum Rolls of 1276, Roger Drane held estates at that time. Later, Adam le Dron was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275 and Walter le Dran was listed in the Assize Rolls for Essex in 1285. 2
In Somerset, John atte Drene was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 3
In Scotland, it is thought to be a "Kintyre surname, perhaps now obsolete. From Irish O'Dreain, 'descendant of Drean,' a wren.'The M'O'Drains, who were Lairds of Carrin and Drumavoulin are now called Drains. The last of these old lairds was Donald M'O'Dhrain (who) was out in the wars of Montrose." 4
Early History of the Drown family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Drown research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1275, 1455, 1487 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Drown History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Drown Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Drane, Drain, Drone, Dron, Dran, Drayne, Drayn and others.
Early Notables of the Drown family
More information is included under the topic Early Drown Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Drown Ranking
In the United States, the name Drown is the 10,513rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5
Migration of the Drown family to Ireland
Some of the Drown family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 101 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Drown migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Drown Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- William Drown, a bonded passenger, who arrived in Maryland in 1742
- Thomas Drown, whose name was on a muster roll of army recruits in Maryland in 1776
Drown Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- S. M. Drown, who was a passenger arriving at San Francisco in 1851
- S M Drown, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
Drown migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Drown Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Richard Drown, who was recorded in the Ontario Census of 1871
Contemporary Notables of the name Drown (post 1700) +
- Thomas Messinger Drown (1842-1904), American scientist and educator, President of Lehigh University
Citations +
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
- 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)
- "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)