Browne is a variant of the English surname Brown, meaning "brown-haired" or "brown-skinned". It may sometimes be derived from French le Brun with similar meaning.[1] The Mac an Bhreitheamhnaigh clan of County Donegal have anglicized as Browne since about 1800.[2] The name has also been used throughout North America as an anglicization of the Spanish surname Pardo.[3]