The Havana Brown is noted for its warm, chocolate brown color that reminded an early breeder of a Havana cigar. The breed did not, however, come from Cuba; the breed originated in Great Britain in the early 1950s. Brown cats resembling this breed were in Britain as early as the 1890s, but the breed development did not begin in earnest until sixty years later. They were introduced to the United States in the mid-1950s. It was first accepted by GCCF in 1958 as the Chestnut Foreign Shorthair.

The British shorthaired breed bearing this name is the brown variety of the Oriental Shorthair, while the American version is a separate breed with a distinctive body and head type.

Though originally named for the brown color, a lavender frost color is also permitted in some associations.

The Havana is a very outgoing breed that loves following its people around. It is a very rare breed; one article estimates that there are fewer than 1,000 Havana Browns in existence.