DAWN BROWN

From the vocabulary word for daybreak, originally bestowed as a given name in the 1920s, no doubt because of the connotations of freshness and purity of this time of day. It may have originated as a translation of Aurora. Twin girls are sometimes given the names Dawn and Eve, although the latter name does not in fact have anything to do with the time of day. The name is also associated with the British actress Dawn Addams (1930–1985), the British comedienne Dawn French (b. 1957), and the American singer Dawn Upshaw (b. 1960).

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.