Fun Facts About the Name Townsend
- 882 babies named Townsend: U.S. records list 882 babies given the name Townsend from 1880 through 2025. Even 11 girls received the name Townsend - about 1 girl for every 79 boys.
What Does the Name Townsend Mean?
Townsend is an English surname meaning 'dweller at the town's end' or 'at the end of the town.' It comes from Middle English toun (town, settlement) and ende (end), which are themselves from Old English tūn and ende. The name was originally topographical: it described someone who lived at the edge, boundary, or far end of a village or settlement.
The literal sense is a location within a settlement, not a personal characteristic or a reference to a larger town. The second part of the modern spelling is not the English verb send; it reflects the historical word ende. Because the phrase could apply in any number of places, the surname may have arisen independently more than once rather than from a single ancestor. The spelling Townshend is a variant of the same name and does not have a separate meaning.
Townsend Name History & Origins
Townsend developed in England from a descriptive byname. In the Middle Ages, people were often identified by where they lived, and someone who lived at the end of a village could be known by a phrase meaning 'at the town's end.' As English surnames became hereditary between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, this kind of byname could become a fixed family name.
The elements are Old English: tūn meant an enclosure, farmstead, village, or town, and ende meant end or boundary. In Middle English these appeared as toun and ende. The surname is found in many English counties, and the variant spelling Townshend is also long established. The name was carried to North America by English colonists. Townsend is also used as a given name in English-speaking countries, where surnames are sometimes adopted as first names.
How Popular is the Name Townsend?
Townsend has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2025. Its best rank was #2,253 in 1918.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #17,068 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #15,014 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,305 | 36 | 0.0021% |
| 2024 | #4,048 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2023 | #4,594 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2022 | #4,073 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2021 | #3,725 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2020 | #5,952 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2019 | #3,991 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2018 | #4,902 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2017 | #7,059 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #5,108 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2015 | #5,269 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2014 | #5,462 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2013 | #4,172 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2012 | #5,966 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2011 | #4,639 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2010 | #5,450 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2009 | #5,777 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #7,149 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #6,238 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #6,429 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 2005 | #7,594 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #8,845 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #8,568 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2002 | #12,338 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #8,261 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #6,003 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #9,167 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #8,919 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #6,363 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #7,703 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #7,339 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #6,468 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #5,779 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #9,125 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1988 | #7,195 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #8,053 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #4,818 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #5,114 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #7,250 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #6,204 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #6,000 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #5,719 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #4,492 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #3,518 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1962 | #3,026 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1960 | #3,640 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #4,530 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1958 | #3,909 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #3,518 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #2,433 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1953 | #4,291 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1952 | #2,666 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1950 | #3,302 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1949 | #4,167 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1948 | #4,154 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #3,078 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1946 | #2,904 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1945 | #3,743 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1944 | #2,848 | 8 | 0.0006% |
| 1940 | #2,467 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1939 | #3,461 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1936 | #3,516 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1935 | #3,612 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1934 | #2,253 | 12 | 0.0012% |
| 1933 | #3,607 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1932 | #3,071 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1931 | #3,370 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1930 | #3,000 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1928 | #3,333 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1927 | #2,397 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1926 | #3,676 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1925 | #4,156 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #3,834 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1923 | #2,759 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1922 | #2,995 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1921 | #3,488 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1919 | #3,712 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1918 | #2,253 | 14 | 0.0014% |
| 1917 | #2,935 | 9 | 0.0010% |
| 1916 | #2,719 | 10 | 0.0011% |
| 1915 | #4,340 | 5 | 0.0006% |
| 1914 | #3,235 | 6 | 0.0009% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Townsend Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You like to control everyone within your influence, to shape things to your own liking. If positive, you develop high spirituality, as you have a God's protection. You are sensitive, affectionate, imaginative and cooperative, spiritually aware and prone to self-sacrifice. You can keep secrets and are a good diplomat. You may have healing and psychic powers. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Townsend's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Townsend's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.