2000
#4,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,581
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.44
Rare Last name
Towne
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked in a town or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,223 Americans carry the last name Towne. That puts it at #5,341 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,453 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Towne 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 Towne with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,453
Census rank
#5,341
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,299 bearers of the surname Towne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5341st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Towne, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Towne
The surname TOWNE is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English word "tun" meaning an enclosure, such as a farm or homestead. It was originally used as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived in a town or village.
The name is believed to have originated in the areas of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire in England during the 11th century. The earliest recorded use of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name TOWNE was Robert de la Towne, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195. Another early record is that of William atte Towne, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.
The surname TOWNE has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Towne, Town, Toune, and Toun. These variations often reflect regional dialects and the evolution of the English language.
Some notable historical figures with the surname TOWNE include:
1. Robert Towne (1634-1672), an American colonist and one of the founders of the town of Topsfield, Massachusetts.
2. John Towne (1742-1828), an American merchant and politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts General Court.
3. Charles Towne (1763-1840), an English engraver and artist known for his work in book illustrations and portraiture.
4. Mary Towne (1834-1904), an American author and educator who wrote extensively on women's rights and education.
5. Robert Newton Towne (1856-1926), an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Belgium and Greece.
The name TOWNE has also been associated with various place names, such as Townville in South Carolina, Townshend in Vermont, and Townville in Pennsylvania, which were likely named after early settlers with the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Towne
Among Census respondents with the surname Towne, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Towne 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 Towne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 5,570
- Two or more races3.8% · 237
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 211
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 131
- Black or African American1.4% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Towne
Towne 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
#5,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,666
+85 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 325 places
2020
#5,341
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,299
-367 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,906 | 6,581 | 2.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,231 | 6,666 | 2.26 | +85 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 325 places |
| 2020 | #5,341 | 6,299 | 2.11 | -367 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 110 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 Towne 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 | #5,231 | #5,341 | -2.1% |
| Count | 6,666 | 6,299 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.26 | 2.11 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Towne bearers went from 6,666 to 6,299 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,231 to #5,341.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Towne
FAQ
Towne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Towne?
Name Census estimates that about 7,223 living Americans carry the surname Towne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,453 residents.
How common is Towne?
Towne ranks #5,341 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,299 people with the surname Towne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,223), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Towne.
Has Towne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Towne went from 6,666 recorded bearers to 6,299. That is a decrease of 367 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,231 to #5,341.
What does the Census say about the background of Towne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Towne, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Towne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (5,570 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Towne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Towne (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 Towne mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked in a town or village. 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 Towne (2.11 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 common is the surname Towne?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Towne at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.