Show ContentsTowner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Towner family

The surname Towner was first found in Linlithgowshire (Gaelic: Lodainn an Iar), former county in south-central Scotland, now the Council Area West Lothian, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Towner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Towner research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1339, 1423, 1531 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Towner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Towner Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Towne, Town, Towns, Townes and others.

Early Notables of the Towner family

More information is included under the topic Early Towner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Towner Ranking

In the United States, the name Towner is the 7,175th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1


Towner migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Towner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • George Towner, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1880 2
  • Thomas Towner, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1880 2

Towner migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Towner Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Ithiel Towner U.E. (b. 1742) born in Goshen, Connecticut, USA who settled in Canada c. 1784 married to Sarah Crosby in 1765 having 6 children, he died in 1812 at Saint John, New Bruswick 3

Towner migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Towner Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Towner, (b. 1818), aged 26, English seaman from New York, Lincolnshire, England who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 9th April 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Towner (post 1700) +

  • Ralph Towner (b. 1940), American musician, composer and bandleader, eponym of two lunar craters
  • James E. Towner (1851-1935), American politician, Member of the New York State Senate (1913-1918) and (1919-1922)
  • Horace Mann Towner (1855-1937), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa (1911-1923), Governor of Puerto Rico (1923-1929)
  • Daniel B. Towner (1850-1919), American hymn composer, best known for his hymn Anywhere with Jesus, Trust and Obey (1887) and The Old Ship of Zion
  • Tony Towner (b. 1955), English former footballer who played from 1973 to 1987
  • John Towner (b. 1933), former Australian rules footballer who played from 1953 to 1962
  • Edgar Thomas Towner VC, MC (1890-1972), Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross in 1918 for his actions during an attack on Mont St. Quentin on the Western Front
  • John Towner Williams (b. 1932), American composer, conductor, and pianist, five-time winner of the Academy Award, four Golden Globe Awards, seven BAFTA Awards and 21 Grammy Awards


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/


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