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

Timbers, 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 Timbers surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Timbers in America

Timbers is the 33810th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Timbers surname appeared 673 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 Timbers.

We can also compare 2010 data for Timbers 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 Timbers

The surname Timbers is an English occupational surname derived from the Old English word "timbrian," meaning "to build with wood." It originated in the Middle Ages, likely in the 12th or 13th century, when surnames began to be adopted more widely in England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Timbers can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like record from 1273, which mentions a William le Tymbre. This spelling variation suggests that the name was initially associated with the trade of a carpenter or woodworker.

During the medieval period, the Timbers surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex in East Anglia. These areas were known for their thriving timber trade and shipbuilding industries, which likely contributed to the prevalence of the surname among local craftsmen.

In the 16th century, the surname appeared in several parish records, such as the christening of John Tymbers in 1564 in St. Mary's Church, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. The surname was also found in the Pipe Rolls of 1197, which recorded a Robert le Tymberere from Hertfordshire.

One notable bearer of the Timbers surname was Sir John Timbers (1601-1675), an English merchant and landowner from Norfolk. He served as a Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth and was known for his involvement in the East Anglian wool trade.

Another prominent figure was Thomas Timbers (1735-1809), a British naval commander who participated in several battles during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. He achieved the rank of Vice Admiral in the Royal Navy.

In the literary world, Emma Timbers (1868-1942) was a British novelist and playwright known for her works depicting rural life in East Anglia. Her novel "The Marsh King" (1905) was particularly well-received and helped establish her reputation as a regional writer.

The Timbers surname also has connections to place names. For instance, the village of Timbers in Gloucestershire may have derived its name from the presence of woodlands or timber resources in the area.

While the Timbers surname is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history rooted in the medieval craft of woodworking and the timber trade, with numerous notable bearers contributing to various fields over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Timbers

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

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 Timbers 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 Timbers 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 Timbers was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!