Townes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The surname Townes 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 Townes family

The surname Townes 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 Townes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Townes 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 Townes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Townes Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Town, Tune, Toune, Towne, Townes, Towns, Tone, Toon and many more.

Early Notables of the Townes family

Notables 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)...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Townes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Townes Ranking

In the United States, the name Townes is the 4,482^nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1

Townes migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Townes Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Townes, who landed in Virginia in 1703 2
Martha Townes, who arrived in Carolina in 1724 2

Townes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Townes, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 2

Townes migration to Australia +

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

Townes Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Townes, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Blundell" in 1851 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Townes (post 1700) +

Sandra Lynn Townes (1944-2018), American jurist, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (2015-2018)
Marvin Townes (b. 1980), American AFL football running back
Linton Townes (b. 1959), American retired professional basketball player
Jeffrey Townes (b. 1965), American singer, more commonly known as DJ Jazzy Jeff
Carol Lynn Townes, American gospel singer
Harry Townes (1914-2001), American television and film actor
Charles H Townes (b. 1915), American physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1964 for inventing the maser (laser)
Justin Townes Earle (1982-2020), American singer-songwriter and musician, son of country artist Steve Earle
Jackie Townes McGee, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Lieutenant Governor of Missouri, 2012 4
Townes Van Zandt (1944-1997), Texas-based folk singer/songwriter

Citations +

"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 Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BLUNDELL 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Blundell.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, August 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html