TOW
Recorded variant spellings include Tow...
Tow is a surname of English origin that can be traced back to documentary records in the thirteenth century, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1275 where a Robert Towe is listed in Lincolnshire during the reign of King Edward I.
Its earliest etymology is linked to the Old English verb taw, meaning “to prepare or treat leather.” Consequently Tow is regarded as an occupational surname given to a tawer, a craftsman who treated animal hides to produce leather goods.
Another documented derivation comes from the Middle English word tow(e) (rope, line). In this sense the name would have been attributed to a maker or dealer of rope, a trade of particular importance in medieval ports and rural communities.
Descriptive nicknames also contributed to the name’s early spread. The pre‑seventh‑century stem toh is thought to describe a person who was “tough, vigorous, or stubborn” – possibly a favoured warrior – or to denote a resident of a tulach (a steep knoll). Documentary instances such as Alicia la Towe at Worcester (1275) and Nicholas le Toghe in Kent (1275) support this descriptive origin; later Scottish entries, for example Henry Toulch, sheriff of Aberdeenshire (1361), demonstrate the name’s penetration into the Lowlands.
Placename evidence is also present. A village of the same name appears in the Domesday Book (1086) in Bedfordshire, hinting at a toponymic source for some carriers of the surname. In the twelfth century, an Adam Tow held a manor in Warwickshire, further indicating a localised, place‑based origin.
During the Early Modern period a variety of spellings were attested in parish registers across England – Towe, Towes, Tuff, Tough, Tox, Tou, Todos, Toux, and Toe. These variations reflect both spelling conventions of the day and regional pronunciations.
Modern distribution data from the Office of National Statistics show that Tow is most frequent in Warwickshire and Worcestershire, with notable concentrations in Gloucestershire, Staffordshire, Hertfordshire, and Cambridgeshire. The surname can also be found in Wales, and, through emigration, in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India.
Thus, the surname Tow remains a tangible link to medieval English occupations, geographic identities, and descriptive nicknames, and its varied spellings illustrate the fluid nature of name transmission across centuries of social and linguistic change.
Typical given names associated with the Tow surname
Male
- Adam
- Andrew
- Damian
- Gordon
- Terence
Female
- Amanda
- Christine
- Greta
- Jean
- Patricia
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Tow in...
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There are approximately 110 people named Tow in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around two in a million people in Britain are named Tow.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
