Townsend History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


The ancestry of the name Townsend dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived on the outskirts of a village. The surname Townsend literally refers to a dweller "at the town's end." The name belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees.

Early Origins of the Townsend family

The surname Townsend was first found in Norfolk, at Snoring Magna (Great Snoring) where one of the first records of the name was found there in 1377. "In 1398, John Townshend settled at Rainham, which according to some accounts accrued to them by the heiress of Havile. " 1

Another source confirms this noble family's status. "In 1398, the ancestor of the Marquis Townshend was at Rainham, the present seat of the family." 2

Actually the first record of the name was listed before the two aforementioned worthy sources. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 lists: Geoffrey de le Tuneshende in Norfolk; Henry atte Tunesende in Oxfordshire; and Alice atte Tunishende in Buckinghamshire. Years later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Ricardus atte ye Thounhende; and Johannes atte Tonehende. 3

Raynham Hall is a country house in Norfolk, England. Completed shortly after the death of Sir Roger Townsend's death in 1637, it has been the seat of the Townshend family for nearly 400 years. The Hall is reported to be haunted, and was the scene of the famous ghost photo of the Brown Lady descending the staircase.

Early History of the Townsend family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Townsend research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1390, 1430, 1486, 1493, 1568, 1596, 1603, 1608, 1618, 1619, 1630, 1637, 1668, 1674, 1682, 1687, 1692, 1738 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Townsend History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Townsend Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Townsend have been found, including Townsend, Townshend and others.

Early Notables of the Townsend family

Notables of the family at this time include

Townsend World Ranking

In the United States, the name Townsend is the 375th most popular surname with an estimated 74,610 people with that name. 4 However, in Australia, the name Townsend is ranked the 324th most popular surname with an estimated 10,960 people with that name. 5 And in New Zealand, the name Townsend is the 513rd popular surname with an estimated 1,345 people with that name. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Townsend as 326th with 18,775 people. 7

Migration of the Townsend family to Ireland

Some of the Townsend family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Townsend migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Townsend, or a variant listed above:

Townsend Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Townsend Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Townsend Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Townsend migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Townsend Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Townsend Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Townsend migration to Australia +

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

Townsend Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Townsend 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:

Townsend Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Townsend migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 17
Townsend Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Townsend (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Townsend +
Fastest Delivery Possible

Digital Products on Checkout, all other products filled in 1 business day

Money Back Guarantee

Yes, all products 100% Guraranteed

BBB A+ Rating

The Best Rating possible

Secure Online Payment

Entire site uses SSL / Secure Certificate