COLE BROWN

Transferred use of the surname, itself derived from a medieval given name which may be a reduced form of Nicholas or represent a survival into Middle English of the Old English byname Cola ‘swarthy, coal-black’, from col ‘charcoal’. As a given name, it is associated with the songwriter Cole Porter (1893–1964) and has enjoyed a degree of popularity in recent times.

English, Scottish, and Irish: generally a nickname referring to the color of the hair or complexion, Middle English br(o)un, from Old English brūn or Old French brun. This word is occasionally found in Old English and Old Norse as a personal name or byname. Brun- was also a Germanic name-forming element. Some instances of Old English Brūn as a personal name may therefore be short forms of compound names such as Brūngar, Brūnwine, etc. As a Scottish and Irish name, it sometimes represents a translation of Gaelic Donn. As an American family name, it has absorbed numerous surnames from other languages with the same meaning.