What name did the Brownies section originally have in Scouting?

The Brownies section in Scouting was originally called Rosebuds.

The junior section was created in the United Kingdom in 1914 to provide a younger age group within the Girl Guides movement. It was established for girls below the usual Guide age, helping the organisation offer activities across a broader range of childhood years.

The first name, Rosebuds, did not last long. The girls reportedly disliked it, and the section was renamed Brownies in 1915 in the United Kingdom. The new name drew on Juliana Horatia Ewing’s 1870 story “The Brownies,” in which helpful children contrast with lazy boggarts.

The name change is easy to confuse with later differences in national terminology. Brownies became the familiar name in many guiding organisations, but some countries and associations have since adopted different titles. For example, Girl Guides of Canada renamed its Brownie branch Embers in 2023 after concerns about the term’s impact on racialised members. The original UK answer, however, is Rosebuds.