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Towle History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Towle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The Towle surname is a patronymic created from the Old English name Toll, "a pet form of Bartholomew (son of Talmai, furrow); dweller, or collector, at a tollhouse." 1

Early Origins of the Towle family

The surname Towle was first found in Lancashire where the Lancashire Wills at Richmond listed John Towlyngson, of the parish of Mellyinge (no date); Richard Towlson, or Tounsoun, of Dalton, 1587; George Toulson, of Poulton, 1672; and George Towlnson, of Pilling, 1673. 2 Further to the south, John Tulesan was Lord Mayor of London in 1252.

Early History of the Towle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Towle research. Another 146 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1290, 1590, 1622, 1630, 1646, 1648, 1650, 1660, 1667 and 1689 are included under the topic Early Towle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Towle Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Tolson, Tollson, Tolsen and others.

Early Notables of the Towle family

Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Towle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Towle Ranking

In the United States, the name Towle is the 4,981^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Towle migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Towle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Roger Towle, who landed in Maryland in 1671 4
Elizabeth Towle, who arrived in Maryland in 1680 4

Towle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Towle, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1808 4
Sam F Towle, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 4
C. Towle, aged 56, who immigrated to the United States from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1893
Katherine Towle, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States, in 1896
Amy M. Towle, aged 25, who landed in America from Liverpool, in 1897

Towle Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Loren Delbert Towle, who settled in America, in 1903
Mrs. Towle, who settled in America, in 1903
George Towle, aged 40, who landed in America from Liverpool, in 1904
Jacob Towle, aged 18, who landed in America from Swansea, England, in 1904
David Towle, aged 28, who landed in America from Swansea, England, in 1904
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Towle migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Towle Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Towle, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Henry Towle, British Convict who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dunvegan Castle" on 13th March 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6

Towle migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Towle Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Elizabeth Towle, (b. 1836), aged 22, British DOMESTIC SERVANT travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Indiana" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 28th November 1858 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Towle (post 1700) +

Thomas Towle (1887-1983), American aircraft designer in charge of developing the Ford Trimotor
Colonel Katherine Amelia Towle (1898-1986), American 1st Director of Women Marines, 2nd Director of the United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve (USMCWR)
Charles L. Towle (1913-1990), Arizona philatelist, named to the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame (1991)
Private John R Towle (1924-1944), American soldier awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944
Brigadier-General Herbert Towle Perrin (1893-1962), American Assistant Commanding General 106th Division (1943-1946) 8

The Towle Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ferro comite
Motto Translation: My sword my companion.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dunvegan-castle
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Herbert Perrin. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Perrin/Herbert_Towle/USA.html