NameCensus.

UK surname

Townes

Derived from a place name referring to someone who lived near a town or village.

In the 1881 census there were 68 people recorded with the Townes surname, ranking it #23,950 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 112, ranked #28,844, down from #23,950 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bergholt, West, Tunbridge, Bidborough and Great Holland, Frinton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tendring, Birmingham and Sefton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Townes is 140 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 64.7%.

1881 census count

68

Ranked #23,950

Modern count

112

2016, ranked #28,844

Peak year

2000

140 bearers

Map years

5

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Townes had 68 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,950 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 112 in 2016, ranked #28,844.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 110 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Townes surname distribution map

The map shows where the Townes surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Townes surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Townes over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 46 #24,985
1861 historical 58 #26,585
1881 historical 68 #23,950
1891 historical 108 #22,828
1901 historical 83 #24,900
1911 historical 110 #21,519
1997 modern 123 #23,792
1998 modern 126 #24,094
1999 modern 135 #23,279
2000 modern 140 #22,752
2001 modern 132 #23,230
2002 modern 131 #23,793
2003 modern 125 #24,265
2004 modern 123 #24,679
2005 modern 113 #25,974
2006 modern 111 #26,565
2007 modern 111 #26,954
2008 modern 109 #27,533
2009 modern 117 #26,927
2010 modern 120 #27,124
2011 modern 115 #27,634
2012 modern 119 #27,100
2013 modern 122 #27,122
2014 modern 123 #27,206
2015 modern 118 #27,833
2016 modern 112 #28,844

Geography

Back to top

Where Townes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bergholt, West, Tunbridge, Bidborough, Great Holland, Frinton, Lambeth and Bures, Lamarsh, Alphamstone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tendring, Birmingham, Sefton, Wyre Forest and Ipswich. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bergholt, West Essex
2 Tunbridge, Bidborough Kent
3 Great Holland, Frinton Essex
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Bures, Lamarsh, Alphamstone Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tendring 003 Tendring
2 Birmingham 004 Birmingham
3 Sefton 002 Sefton
4 Wyre Forest 007 Wyre Forest
5 Ipswich 003 Ipswich

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Townes

These lists show first names that appear often with the Townes surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Townes

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Townes, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Townes surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Townes household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Townes is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Townes is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Townes falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Townes is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Townes, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Townes

The surname Townes is of English origin, stemming from the Old English word "tun" which means an enclosed homestead or village. It likely originated as a locational name, indicating someone who resided in a particular town or village.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Townes can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Lincolnshire. It was often spelled as "Tone," "Toun," or "Toune" in ancient records and manuscripts.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William de Tone, who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273. Another notable individual was John Towne, a member of the Parliament of England who served during the reign of King Edward III in the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the spelling "Townes" became more prevalent, and the name was associated with several prominent figures. One such person was Robert Townes, a renowned English composer and organist who lived from 1525 to 1597.

During the 17th century, the Townes family played a significant role in the colonization of America. William Townes, born in 1601 in England, was among the early settlers in Virginia, establishing roots in the New World.

Another notable bearer of the Townes surname was Charles Townes, an American physicist and Nobel Prize laureate. Born in 1915, he is best known for his pioneering work in the development of the maser and laser technologies, earning him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1964.

Other historical figures with the surname Townes include John Townes, a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London during the late 18th century, and Henry Townes, an American politician and statesman who served as a U.S. Senator from Georgia in the early 19th century.

The Townes surname has also been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Townesend in Kent, England, and Townesville in Queensland, Australia, which were likely derived from the surname itself or influenced by its origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Townes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Townes surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Suffolk leads with 15 Townes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.57x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 15 18.57x
Middlesex 12 1.81x
Essex 11 8.40x
Kent 9 3.98x
Surrey 8 2.48x
Yorkshire 6 0.91x
Lancashire 3 0.38x
Staffordshire 2 0.89x
Durham 1 0.51x
Nottinghamshire 1 1.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. West Bergholt in Essex leads with 10 Townes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4166.67x.

Place Total Index
West Bergholt 10 4166.67x
Tonbridge 8 98.04x
Bures St Mary 5 2500.00x
Elmsett 5 5000.00x
Ipswich St Mathew 5 221.24x
Lambeth 5 8.65x
Skipton 5 241.55x
Kensington London 4 10.85x
St Pancras London 4 7.49x
Liverpool 2 4.19x
Bradford 1 6.29x
Bradford 1 27.17x
Chelsea London 1 5.01x
Croydon 1 5.57x
Deptford St Paul 1 5.73x
Eakring 1 1000.00x
Hanwell 1 84.75x
Harwich St Nicholas 1 99.01x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 1 11.71x
Islington London 1 1.56x
Lichfield St Chad 1 200.00x
Newington 1 4.08x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 7.50x
St Marylebone London 1 2.82x
Tipton 1 14.60x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Townes surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Ellen 3
Ada 2
Alice 2
Elizabeth 2
Emily 2
Margaret 2
Ann 1
Annie 1
Charlotte 1
Dora 1
Eliza 1
Ethel 1
Grace 1
Julia 1
M. 1
Mahala 1
Mary 1
Phoebe 1
Rosa 1
Roshannah 1
Sabina 1
Teresa 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Townes surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Charles 5
John 3
Walter 3
William 3
James 2
Percy 2
Alf 1
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Bernard 1
David 1
Edwin 1
Frances 1
Gilbert 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Jacob 1
Joseph 1
Samuel 1
Thomas 1
Wm. 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Townes households.

FAQ

Townes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Townes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 68 people were recorded with the Townes surname. That placed it at #23,950 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Townes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 112 in 2016. That gives Townes a modern rank of #28,844.

What does the Townes surname mean?

Derived from a place name referring to someone who lived near a town or village.

What does the Townes map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Townes bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.