SHANNON BROWN

From the name of a river in Ireland. It is not clear why it has become so popular as a given name; compare Clodagh. In part it may also be a transferred use of the Irish surname, Gaelic Ó Seanáin ‘descendant of Seanán’ (a diminutive of Seán). Shannon is not found as a traditional given name in Ireland itself.

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.