Origins of the Townsend surname

About the Townsends

We have a total of 155588 records for people with the last name Townsend.

Find out more about your family in our records

    or try an advanced search
    Start free trial
    “
    I’ve managed to trace back to the mid-1500s! I can’t believe it! Utterly engrossing and I have uncovered some quite moving and heartbreaking stories attached to various ancestors. You don’t need any qualifications to start - just time patience, and some information.
    SS
    Stuart
    Trustpilot logoTrustpilot 5 stars
    1 of 3

    Start your family tree

    Trace your family back in time. Make new discoveries and see what other Findmypast family historians in our genealogy community have discovered about the Townsends.

    Sign up to get started

    Delve deeper into the Townsend family's history

    OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 129North West 203Isle of Man 2Yorkshire 1974East Midlands 587West Midlands 1227East 710London 2932South East 1723South West 961South Wales 301Mid Wales 36West Wales 2North Wales 23Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

    In 1921, most Townsends lived in london

    Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

    21,000 Townsend Travel & migration records
    130,000 Townsends found in all Census records

    Interesting facts about Townsend

    How common is your surname?

    304th most common surname in the UK

    We have for the Townsend surname. The oldest one dates back to 1538.

    Who were Townsends most likely to marry?

    Our tell us which families married Townsends.

    What are the most common Townsend first names?

    John

    William

    Mary

    Elizabeth

    Our tell us the names of Townsend family members
    Man with milk churns and census card collage
    Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

    Common jobs for Townsends

    Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

    Common female occupations for Townsends in 1921

    Dressmaker

    566

    Laundress

    418

    Domestic Servant

    338

    General Servant Domestic

    305

    General Servant

    257

    Common male occupations for Townsends in 1921

    Agricultural Labourer

    781

    General Labourer

    470

    Farm Labourer

    469

    Farmer

    352

    Carpenter

    310

    We found over 170,000 family trees with the Townsend surname

    Trace your family back in time and see what other Findmypast family historians in our genealogy community have discovered about the Townsends.

    Search for a relative in our family trees

    Learn more about the lives of Townsend family members

    How rare is your surname?

    Have you ever wondered if your family na...

    The rise and fall of these disappearing British surnames

    Could your surname be on the brink of di...

    English surnames explained: The seven types of last names you should know

    Ever wondered where our last names come...

    How to find the maiden names of women in your family tree

    Try these simple tricks to pinpoint your...

    4 simple steps to starting your family history journey

    Starting your family history journey is...

    Share your discoveries

    Share to WhatsApp

    Share to Facebook

    Look for a different surname