Towle
A surname with several possible English roots, often treated as a variant of Toll or Towell.
The #7,961 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 74,289 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained as a reduced or altered form of older English names such as Toll or Towell. In the historical dictionaries, Towle is also linked to Towle/Towl forms that may stand beside Towler and Towson as related variants. Because the surviving evidence points to more than one possible source, the exact original meaning is not certain.
History
The name appears in English surname collections as a variant spelling rather than a clearly separate family-name type. It later spread to North America, where it remains relatively uncommon. The historical record suggests multiple local spellings and some overlap with similar surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In 19th-century surname books, Towle is often listed alongside several other short, easily confused forms, showing how fluid English surname spelling could be.
From the historical record
“TOWL 1 I for Toll, q.v. TOWLE / 2 for Towell, q.v. TOWLER for Toller, q.v. TOWLSON for Tolson, q.v. TOWN "1 (Eng.) Dweller at the Town ; orig. TOWNE J an ENCLOSURE, then a Farmstead, Village [M.E. t{o)un, t{o)une (M. Scot.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)