ESTHER BROWN

Biblical name, borne by a Jewish captive who became the wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah ‘myrtle’, and the form Esther is said to be a Persian translation of this, although others derive it from Persian stara ‘star’. It may also be a Hebrew form of the name of the Persian goddess Ishtar. According to the book of the Bible that bears her name, Esther managed, by her perception and persuasion, to save large numbers of the Jews from the evil machinations of the royal counsellor Haman. See also Hester.

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.