The surname Browning
An English patronymic surname, carried by 43,329 people in the United States.
Pronounced /ˈbɹaʊnɪŋ/ 2 syllables Soundex B655
Origin
English origin
From Old English Brūning, a patronymic for a person nicknamed Brūn (“brown”) (see Brown). For the first half-century of their manufacturer, the majority of semi-automatic handguns in Europe were designed by John M. Browning.
Browning is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.
Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How common it is
2010 US Census
There were 43,329 people named Browning in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 7,126 Americans. That is up 1.6% since 2000, when the Census counted 42,642.
Who is named Browning
Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census
87% of people named Browning identified as white (not Hispanic), 7.3% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
- White (not Hispanic) 87%
- Black (not Hispanic) 7.3%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.3%
- Two or more races 1.8%
- American Indian and Alaska Native 0.7%
- Asian and Pacific Islander 0.4%
Famous Brownings
18 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Emily BrowningAustralian actress, singer and model, born 1988
- Tod BrowningAmerican film actor and director (1880–1962)
- Logan BrowningAmerican actress and singer, born 1989
- Tyias BrowningBritish-Chinese footballer (born 1994)
- Frederick BrowningBritish Army general (1896–1965)
- Christopher BrowningAmerican historian of the Holocaust, born 1944
- Ricou BrowningAmerican film actor and director (1930–2023)
- David BrowningAmerican diver (1931-1956)
- John BrowningAmerican pianist (1933–2003)
- Orville Hickman BrowningAmerican politician (1806-1881)
- Kayle BrowningAmerican sport shooter, born 1992
- Chris BrowningAmerican television and film actor, born 1964
Notable Brownings come mostly from the United States (12), Australia (3) and the United Kingdom (2).
Spellings and sound-alikes
Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling
Browning has the Soundex code B655, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code B655.
Other English surnames
Questions
- Where does the surname Browning come from?
- From Old English Brūning, a patronymic for a person nicknamed Brūn (“brown”) (see Brown). For the first half-century of their manufacturer, the majority of semi-automatic handguns in Europe were designed by John M. Browning.
- How common is the surname Browning?
- 43,329 people in the United States had the surname Browning in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 7,126 Americans. It ranked 797th of 162,253 surnames.
- What ethnicity is the surname Browning?
- In the 2010 Census, 87% of people named Browning identified as white (not Hispanic), and 7.3% as Black (not Hispanic).
- Who is the most famous person named Browning?
- Emily Browning, Australian actress, singer and model, followed by Tod Browning.
- Where is the surname Browning most common?
- Wikidata records people named Browning in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 1 other country.
- How do you pronounce Browning?
- Browning is /ˈbɹaʊnɪŋ/, 2 syllables.
- What type of surname is Browning?
- Browning is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
- Is the surname Browning getting more or less common?
- More common. 42,642 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 43,329 in 2010, up 1.6%.
- Is Browning also a first name?
- Yes. Browning is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.