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Towle Family History

Towle Surname Meaning

English (mainly Nottinghamshire): from Middle English Tolle or Tole usually a pet form of Anglo-Norman Torald a well-used personal name by the Normans in Normandy and England and ultimately from Old Norse Thóraldr (Thórr the god Thor + vald ‘power rule’).

Middle English Tole was also an Anglicized form of Old Norse Tóli (see Tooley) and could alternatively have derived from Old English Tola. Compare Tolson.

Variant of Towell, perhaps sometimes a topographic name from Middle English toll ‘clump of trees’.

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


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Where is the Towle family from?

You can see how Towle families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Towle family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Towle families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 375 Towle families living in Nottinghamshire. This was about 41% of all the recorded Towle's in United Kingdom. Nottinghamshire had the highest population of Towle families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Towle surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Towle ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Joiner and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Towle. 8% of Towle men worked as a Joiner and 75% of Towle women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Towle were Cowman and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Towle | 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 1939

  • Joiner
    8%
  • General Labourer
    7%
  • Colliery Hewer
    5%
  • Cowman
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    75%
  • Household Duties
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Towle family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 40,000 census records available for the last name Towle. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Towle census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Towle

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Towle. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Towle immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 8,000 military records available for the last name Towle. For the veterans among your Towle ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Towle military records

You've only scratched the surface of Towle family history

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What is the average Towle lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Towle life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Towle in 1944 was 20, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Towle

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Towle ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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