Find out how popular the last name Townson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Townson.

Townson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Townson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Townson in America

Townson is the 14878th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Townson surname appeared 1,989 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Townson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Townson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Townson

The surname Townson is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It likely emerged in the 12th or 13th century as a descriptive name for someone who lived in or came from a particular town or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Townson can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a certain William Townson is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established by the late 12th century in parts of England.

The name Townson is a variant spelling of the earlier surname Townesman, which was derived from the Old English words "tun" meaning town or settlement, and "mann" meaning man. Over time, the spelling evolved to the more modern form of Townson.

In the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, there is a record of a John Townson, indicating the presence of the name in the West Midlands region during the 14th century.

Notable historical figures bearing the surname Townson include Sir Robert Townson (1591-1663), an English mathematician and astronomer who served as the Savilian Professor of Astronomy at the University of Oxford in the 17th century.

In the realm of literature, Thomas Townson (1615-1692) was an English clergyman and theologian who authored several works on religious subjects during the latter half of the 17th century.

Another prominent individual was Richard Townson (1629-1707), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Malpas in Cheshire and wrote extensively on topics related to theology and ecclesiastical law.

Advancing into the 18th century, John Townson (1720-1805) was a notable English agriculturist and writer who published works on farming practices and rural life in Lancashire.

A more recent figure was Robert Townson (1762-1827), a British geologist and traveler who conducted geological surveys and explorations in various parts of Europe, including Spain and Hungary, during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

While the surname Townson may have originated as a descriptive name for someone from a particular town or settlement, it has since become a well-established family name with a rich history spanning several centuries across different regions of England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Townson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Townson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Townson was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Townson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Townson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Townson, please contact us.

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