Timm
A masculine given name of German origin meaning "honoured with respect".
Name Census estimates that about 506 living Americans carry the first name Timm. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Timm today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Timm births was 1959 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Timm. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Timm is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Timms were born before 1970.
People living today
506
~ 1 in 677,380 Americans
Peak year
1959
41 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1982 SSA rank
#7,285
Tracked since 1941
Popularity
Timm: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Timm from the 1940s through to the 1980s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 247 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Timm by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Timm during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Timms live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois recorded the most babies named Timm, while Michigan, California, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Timm
The name Timm is a masculine given name of German origin. It is a variant of the more common name Timothy, which is derived from the Greek name Timotheos. Timotheos itself is a combination of two Greek words: "timē" meaning "honor" and "theos" meaning "god." The name essentially translates to "honoring God" or "honored by God."
Timm emerged as a shortened form of Timothy in German-speaking regions during the Middle Ages. The earliest recorded use of the name Timm can be traced back to the 12th century in various German chronicles and documents.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Timm was Timm von Brehna, a German knight who fought in the Crusades during the late 12th century. He was a prominent figure in the Third Crusade and participated in the siege of Acre in 1191.
Another notable bearer of the name was Timm Krag, a Danish statesman and military commander who lived from 1598 to 1669. He played a significant role in the Torstenson War between Denmark and Sweden, serving as a general and leading Danish forces in several battles.
In the field of literature, Timm Thaler, the titular character in the novel "Timm Thaler oder das verkaufte Lachen" (Timm Thaler or The Boy Who Sold His Laughter) by James Krüss, published in 1962, is a well-known fictional character. The novel explores the consequences of Timm selling his laughter to a mysterious baron.
Timm Kröger was a German actor and comedian who lived from 1951 to 2017. He was known for his roles in numerous German television series and films, often portraying comedic characters.
Timm Thaler, a German author and screenwriter born in 1952, is another notable figure with this name. He has written several novels, short stories, and screenplays, including the screenplay for the 2017 film adaptation of the novel "Timm Thaler oder das verkaufte Lachen."
While the name Timm is not as common as its longer counterpart Timothy, it has maintained a presence throughout history, particularly in German-speaking regions, and has been borne by various individuals across different fields and professions.
People
Timm + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Timm as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Timm: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Timm?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 506 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Timm going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 677,380 US residents.
Is Timm a common name?
We classify Timm as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 651 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Timm most popular?
The single biggest year for Timm was 1959, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Timm is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Timm a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Timm in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.