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Townsend Family History

Townsend Surname Meaning

English: topographic name for someone who lived at the extremity of a village from Middle English toun(es)ende.

Compare Town.

There may have been some confusion with Townson.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Townsend family from?

You can see how Townsend families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Townsend family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Townsend families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 437 Townsend families living in New York. This was about 32% of all the recorded Townsend's in USA. New York had the highest population of Townsend families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Townsend surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Townsend ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Townsend. 17% of Townsend men worked as a Farmer and 7% of Townsend women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Townsend were Truck Driver and Teacher.

View Census Data for Townsend | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    17%
  • Laborer
    17%
  • Salesman
    5%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    7%
  • Housewife
    7%
  • Housekeeper
    7%
  • Teacher
    6%

What Townsend family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 560,000 census records available for the last name Townsend. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Townsend census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Townsend

Passenger Lists

There are 50,000 immigration records available for the last name Townsend. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Townsend immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 94,000 military records available for the last name Townsend. For the veterans among your Townsend ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Townsend military records

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