TOWNER
Towner is a surname of English origin, belonging to the class of topographical names that identify individuals by their place of residence within a settlement. The name derives from the Middle English word tun, meaning “enclosure” or “settlement,” combined with the occupational suffix -er, which denoted a person associated with, or a resident of, a particular place.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname appear in the late twelfth century. In 1219 the name occurs as Peter de la Tune in Sir Christopher Hatton’s Book of Seals for the county of Surrey, and in 1275 as John de la Tone in the Hundred Rolls of Suffolk. These early spellings illustrate the meaning “one of the town,” suggesting that bearers of the name lived at the heart of a village or in a principal settlement, as opposed to the more peripheral farmstead known as a thorp.
The first definitively recorded spelling is shown in the Feudal Documents of the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. There the name appears as Wistric Optun in a record dated 1095, during the reign of King William II (1087–1100). This document establishes that the surname is among the earliest recorded in England.
Over the following centuries the surname evolved in spelling to Town, Towns and ultimately Towner. Later examples include Richard Towne, christened at St. Leonards Church, Eastcheap, London, on 9 October 1544, and Priscilla Toon, daughter of George Toon, baptised at Christchurch, Greyfriars, Newgate, London, on 12 March 1693.
In contemporary Britain the surname is predominantly concentrated in the south‑eastern counties, particularly Sussex and Oxfordshire, where the earliest medieval documents were produced. The name remains a recognised English surname, with several living descendants bearing the spelling Towner and its variations.
Typical given names associated with the Towner surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Angela
- Anne
- Caroline
- Diane
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Louise
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Samantha
- Susan
- Victoria
Similar and related surnames
- Daenner
- Dagnar
- Dainer
- Daner
- Daneri
- Danier
- Dannar
- Danner
- Danor
- Dauner
- Dawner
- Dayner
- Deaner
- Deener
- Degner
- Dehner
- Deiner
- Denar
- Denaro
- Dener
- Denero
- Denier
- Deniro
- Denner
- Dennier
- Dennor
- Denora
- Denore
- Dienaar
- Diener
- Dignar
- Digner
- Dinari
- Dineer
- Diner
- Dinero
- Dinnarr
- Dinner
- Dinnere
- Dinora
- Dionori
- Donaire
- Donar
- Doner
- Donnar
- Donner
- Donnor
- Donor
- Donora
- Doonar
- Dooner
- Douner
- Downar
- Downer
- Dunear
- Duner
- Dunira
- Dunner
- Dunor
- Dunroe
- Dyner
- Tainer
- Tainor
- Taner
- Taneri
- Taniere
- Tanir
- Tannar
- Tanner
- Tannir
- Tannor
- Tanor
- Tanur
- Tauner
- Tayner
- Taynor
- Teaner
- Tegner
- Tener
- Tenier
- Tennear
- Tenner
- Tenor
- Tenorio
- Tinari
- Tiner
- Tinnear
- Tinner
- Togneri
- Tonar
- Toner
- Toneri
- Tonnar
- Tonner
- Tonnerre
- Tonnor
- Tonor
- Tonra
- Tonroe
- Toon
- Toone
- Tooner
- Touner
- Town
- Towne
- Townes
- Townroe
- Towns
- Toyner
- Tuener
- Tuiner
- Tunaru
- Tune
- Tuner
- Tunner
- Tunory
- Tynar
- Tyner
- Tynor
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Towner in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 1,556 people named Towner in the UK. That makes it roughly the 5,203rd most common surname in Britain. Around 24 in a million people in Britain are named Towner.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Towner
- Margaret Towner - Actor (1920 to 2017)
- Tony Towner - Football player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.