SHARON BROWN

From a biblical place name. The derivation is from the phrase ‘I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys’ (Song of Solomon 2:1). The plant name ‘rose of Sharon’ is used for a shrub of the genus Hypericum, with yellow flowers, and for a species of hibiscus, with purple flowers. Sharon is recorded in the United States from the 18th century, as a name of both boys and girls. Since the 20th century, however, it has been used predominantly if not exclusively for girls.

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.