The Towne surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,666 people carried this name — #5,231 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 44,200 people counted. That is up 1% from 6,581 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Towne surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of the town’.

An early record he cites: Thomas atte Toune, Somerset, 1327–28 (1 Edward III) — Kirby's Quest (Somerset).

His entry covers Town, Towne, Toon and Toone.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 760 · public domain.

In print

Towne in American newspapers,
1900.

Newspaper page from The Evening Bulletin carrying the name Towne
The Evening Bulletin 1900-07-07
Newspaper page from The Courier-journal carrying the name Towne
The Courier-journal 1900-07-07
Newspaper page from Akron Daily Democrat carrying the name Towne
Akron Daily Democrat 1900-07-06

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 129,811 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Towne in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1960s.

1,378 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Towne. The most, 396, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 2.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 811
Victoria 255
New South Wales 203
Western Australia 44
South Australia 43
Tasmania 17
ACT (Canberra) 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Towne.

Who carried it

People named Towne,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Charles Towne
    Charles Towne 1781–1854 · painter
  • Charles Towne
    Charles Towne 1781–1854 · painter
  • Jacob Perkins Towne
    Jacob Perkins Towne 1803–1889 · politician
  • John Henry Towne
    John Henry Towne 1818–1875 · engineer
  • Mary Barcroft 1573–
  • Joseph Towne 1639–1712

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Towne,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States583 records

583 records of the Towne name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 246
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 105
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 102
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 78
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 24
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 22
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Glenn W. Towne

    Born 1917 in Wisconsin. Enlisted 1941 at Milwaukee; miller from Fond Du Lac County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Rosendale Cemetery, Wisconsin.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Peter Clark Towne

    Born 1938; from Morris, Connecticut. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1965 in Quang Tin, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Matilda Towne

    Arrived at New York in 1876 aboard the Abyssinia from Liverpool, aged 26; matron. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 583 records for Towne in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia33 records

33 records of the Towne name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 25
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 7
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Lemuel G. Towne

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Fly Away, aged 31; American.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Beatrice Towne

    Arrived in Queensland in 1911 aboard the Ayrshire.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record Harold V. Towne

    NSW railway employee; served in the First World War with the 54th Battalion.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 33 records for Towne in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Canada3 records

3 records of the Towne name in Canada
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 2
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Paul Towne

    Buried in 1987 at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.

Showing 1 of 3 records for Towne in Canada.

Counts: City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Towne name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Roger Adolphe Towne

    Born 1909 in Colombes (Hauts-de-Seine); died 1997 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Towne.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Towne is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Towne volume
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