| ![Show Contents]() Town History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The surname Town is of Anglo-Saxon origin. It is derived from the Old English "tun," which originally meant "fence" or "enclosure," but soon came to mean "enclosure round a house," "homestead," "village," or "town." The name was originally preceded by a preposition, and referred to "one who lived in or at the village or town." Early Origins of the Town familyThe surname Town was first found in Suffolk. The written history of the name dates back as far as 1095, when Wistric Oftun was recorded in the records of the abbey at Bury St. Edmunds. Variations on the surname, such as Abothetoune, atte Tun, and Douninthetune, could also be found in this region at an early date. Early History of the Town familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Town research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1095, 1275, 1327, 1524, 1583, 1621, 1640, 1650, 1692, 1739 and 1816 are included under the topic Early Town History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Town Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Town, Tune, Toune, Towne, Townes, Towns, Tone, Toon and many more. Early Notables of the Town familyNotables of the family at this time include - John Towne (c.1583), a British actor, Robert Towne (c.1650), a religious writer, and Francis Towne (1739-1816), a well-known British watercolor painter of landscapes...
- Rebecca Towne Nurse (or Nourse) (1621-1692) (née Towne) English-born settler with her family in Salem Village in 1640 was executed for witchcraft by the government of the Province of Massachusetts Bay...
Town RankingIn the United States, the name Town is the 15,964th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]
 Town migration to the United States | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Town Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Daniel and Edmund Town, who settled in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630
- William Town, who landed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1635 [2]
- Thomas Town, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 [2]
- John Town, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1683 [2]
Town Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- John Town, who immigrated to Baltimore in 1823
- Benjamin Town, who arrived in San Francisco in 1852
- James Town, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1861 [2]
| Town migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Town Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- Silvenus Town, who landed in Canada in 1834
| Town migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Town Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Henry Town, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia [3]
- Mr. James Town, (b. 1796), aged 35, English agricultural labourer who was convicted in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England for 7 years for machine breaking, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [4]
| Town 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: Town Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Mr. James Town, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Euphemus" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 12th February 1857 [5]
- Mr. John Town, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Euphemus" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 12th February 1857 [5]
- Joseph Town, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1858
- William Town, aged 30, a bricklayer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of The Age" in 1874
- Annie Town, aged 28, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of The Age" in 1874
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Contemporary Notables of the name Town (post 1700) | + |
- Hiram S. Town (1832-1901), American farmer and politician who served in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1870 to 1871
- Ithiel Town (1784-1844), American architect and civil engineer from Thompson, Connecticut
- Mr. John Town, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1500 to 1501
- Neal Town Stephenson (b. 1959), American Hugo Award winning writer known primarily for his science fiction works
- "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)
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
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Town migration to the United States 
Town migration to Canada 
Town migration to Australia 
Town migration to New Zealand 
England
Scotland
