Find out how popular the last name Himmler is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Himmler.

Himmler, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Himmler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Himmler in America

Himmler is the 86314th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Himmler surname appeared 216 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Himmler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Himmler to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Himmler

The surname Himmler originated in Germany in the late medieval period, likely derived from the Middle High German word "himmel," meaning "heaven" or "sky." This suggests that the name may have been initially applied as a descriptive nickname for someone living in a high or elevated location, or perhaps someone with a heavenly or pious demeanor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Döbeln in Saxony, where a certain "Petrus Himmler" was mentioned in a document from 1428. The name also appears in various spellings, such as "Hymler" and "Himmeler," in records from other parts of southern and central Germany during the 15th and 16th centuries.

The name is thought to be related to other German surnames like Himmelreich and Himmelmann, which also have connections to the concept of heaven or the sky. It's possible that the name was originally associated with a particular occupation or trade, such as a celestial navigator or an astrologer, but definitive evidence of this is lacking.

One notable early bearer of the name was Hans Himmler, a Protestant reformer and theologian from Nuremberg, who lived from 1499 to 1584. He was a prominent figure in the Reformation movement and a close associate of Martin Luther.

Another historically significant individual with the surname Himmler was Johann Himmler, a German painter and engraver who was active in the early 17th century. He is known for his intricate engravings of architectural subjects and landscapes.

In the 18th century, a certain Georg Himmler, born in 1714, was a renowned clockmaker and inventor from the town of Schmalkalden in Thuringia. His innovative clock designs and mechanisms were highly sought after by European nobility and royalty.

The surname also has a notable connection to the von Himmler family, a noble lineage from Bavaria that can be traced back to the 13th century. One of their descendants, Heinrich von Himmler, born in 1900, would later become infamous as the head of the SS and one of the principal architects of the Holocaust during the Nazi regime in Germany.

Despite this infamous association, the surname Himmler has a long and varied history, with many bearers contributing to various fields and professions over the centuries, particularly in the regions of southern and central Germany where the name originated.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Himmler

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Himmler.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Himmler was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Himmler has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Himmler was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Himmler, please contact us.

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