'townhall' originates from the combination of 'town' and 'hall', where 'town' refers to a populated area and 'hall' refers to a large room or building for public gatherings.

'townhall' has been used in English since the 15th century to describe a building used for municipal purposes.

Initially, it referred to a building for town meetings, but over time it evolved to include any municipal building used for public administration.