2000
#3,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,241
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.43
Uncommon Last name
Timm
An occupational surname of German origin, referring to a carpenter or woodworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,339 Americans carry the last name Timm. That puts it at #3,837 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Timm surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Timm with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,152
Census rank
#3,837
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.0K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,016 bearers of the surname Timm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3837th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Timm, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Timm
The surname TIMM is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German given name Timm, which is a shortened form of the name Dietmar or Theodmar. This name is composed of the Germanic elements "diet" meaning "people" and "mar" meaning "famous."
The earliest recorded instances of the name TIMM can be traced back to the 13th century in various German regions. It is found in historical records from areas such as Saxony, Westphalia, and Pomerania. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Timmo von Alvensleben, a nobleman who lived in the late 13th century in the region of Saxony-Anhalt.
By the 14th century, the name had spread to other parts of Europe, with variations in spelling such as Timme, Tymme, and Tymmen appearing in records from the Netherlands and Scandinavia. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and local pronunciations.
Notable historical figures with the surname TIMM include Johann Timm (1561-1624), a German theologian and writer who was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation. Another notable bearer was Heinrich Timm (1811-1892), a German painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
In the 19th century, the name gained prominence in the United States due to German immigration. One of the earliest recorded instances in America was Johann Timm, who arrived in New York from Germany in 1844. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the country, contributing to the spread of the name across the nation.
Other notable individuals with the surname TIMM include Heinz Timm (1894-1954), a German World War I flying ace, and Uwe Timm (born 1940), a German writer and novelist known for his works exploring themes of memory and identity.
Throughout its history, the surname TIMM has been associated with various professions and backgrounds, from nobility and clergy to artists and writers. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has become widespread across different regions and cultures over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Timm
Among Census respondents with the surname Timm, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Timm bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Timm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 8,364
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 267
- Two or more races2.4% · 219
- Black or African American0.9% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Timm
Timm appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,433
+192 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 3.20
Rank movement Down 223 places
2020
#3,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,016
-417 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 3.02
Rank movement Down 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,530 | 9,241 | 3.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,753 | 9,433 | 3.20 | +192 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 223 places |
| 2020 | #3,837 | 9,016 | 3.02 | -417 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 84 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Timm surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,753 | #3,837 | -2.2% |
| Count | 9,433 | 9,016 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.20 | 3.02 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Timm bearers went from 9,433 to 9,016 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,753 to #3,837.
FAQ
Timm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Timm?
Name Census estimates that about 10,339 living Americans carry the surname Timm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,152 residents.
How common is Timm?
Timm ranks #3,837 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,016 people with the surname Timm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,339), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Timm.
Has Timm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Timm went from 9,433 recorded bearers to 9,016. That is a decrease of 417 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,753 to #3,837.
What does the Census say about the background of Timm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Timm, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Timm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (8,364 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Timm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Timm (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Timm mean?
An occupational surname of German origin, referring to a carpenter or woodworker. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Timm (3.02 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Timm?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Timm on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.