Brunette
A surname likely referring to someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.
The #9,399 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 89,259 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Brunette is the French feminine form of brun, meaning “brown” or “dark.” As a surname, it most likely began as a nickname for a person with dark hair, a dark complexion, or a brownish appearance. The ending -ette is a French diminutive or feminine suffix, so the name literally has the sense of “little brown/dark one” or “the dark-haired woman,” depending on how it was first used.
History
The surname is found in French-speaking areas and later in North America, especially in Canada and the United States. Historical references in the supplied sources place Brunette in Montreal and other Canadian towns, which fits a French-Canadian distribution. In modern use it is more often encountered as a family name than as a given descriptive term.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century onomastic writer listed Brunette among surnames found in Montreal, showing that it was already established in French Canada by that time.
From the historical record
“and both INlr. Prittie and Mr. Purty, at Toronto. Both Pretty and Prettyman are found in Philadel- phia. Brunette is met with at Montreal, and various other towns in Canada. Mr. Dark lives in Clinton, C.W. Dark and Darke are both found in New York. Mr. Fairman lives in Troy, N.H. ; and Si- meon Fair is Solicitor of…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)