2000
#12,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,296
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Town
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a village or hamlet, as opposed to the countryside.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,611 Americans carry the last name Town. That puts it at #12,902 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Town surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Town with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,273
Census rank
#12,902
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,277 bearers of the surname Town in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12902nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Town, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Town
The surname TOWN originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English word "tun," meaning a village or an enclosed homestead. It was a habitational name, given to individuals who lived in or came from a particular town or village.
The name TOWN first appeared in historical records in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror to record the landholdings and wealth of England. This early record suggests that the surname was well-established by the 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname TOWN was William de la Towne, who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273. This document lists landowners and their holdings, indicating that William de la Towne was a prominent figure in the area.
Another notable bearer of the TOWN surname was John de la Towne, who was born in 1315 and served as a member of Parliament for Bedfordshire in 1355 and 1357. His name appears in various parliamentary records from that time period.
In the 15th century, the surname TOWN was also associated with the town of Towton in Yorkshire, where the infamous Battle of Towton took place in 1461 during the Wars of the Roses. Some historians believe that the surname may have derived from this place name.
One of the most famous individuals with the TOWN surname was Robert Towne, an American screenwriter and filmmaker born in 1934. He is best known for his Academy Award-winning screenplay for the film "Chinatown" in 1974.
Another notable bearer of the TOWN surname was Charles Towne, born in 1737, who was a British architect and urban planner responsible for designing various buildings and squares in London, including the famous Berkeley Square.
Throughout history, the surname TOWN has undergone various spelling variations, such as Towne, Toune, and Toun, reflecting the regional dialects and language changes over time. However, the core meaning of the name has remained consistent, reflecting its origins as a habitational name referring to a town or village.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Town
Among Census respondents with the surname Town, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Town bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Town surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 1,959
- Black or African American4.9% · 111
- Two or more races3.4% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Town
Town appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,357
+61 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 626 places
2020
#12,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,277
-80 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,403 | 2,296 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,029 | 2,357 | 0.80 | +61 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 626 places |
| 2020 | #12,902 | 2,277 | 0.76 | -80 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 127 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Town surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,029 | #12,902 | 1.0% |
| Count | 2,357 | 2,277 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.76 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Town bearers went from 2,357 to 2,277 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 127 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,029 to #12,902.
FAQ
Town surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Town?
Name Census estimates that about 2,611 living Americans carry the surname Town. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,273 residents.
How common is Town?
Town ranks #12,902 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,277 people with the surname Town. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,611), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Town.
Has Town become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Town went from 2,357 recorded bearers to 2,277. That is a decrease of 80 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,029 to #12,902.
What does the Census say about the background of Town?
Among Census respondents with the surname Town, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Town in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (1,959 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Town appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Black (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Town (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Town mean?
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a village or hamlet, as opposed to the countryside. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Town (0.76 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Town?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.