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

Timmer, 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 Timmer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Timmer in America

Timmer is the 10510th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Timmer surname appeared 3,054 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Timmer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Timmer 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 Timmer

The surname Timmer is of Dutch origin, derived from the occupation of a timber worker or carpenter. It first appeared in the Low Countries region during the Middle Ages, likely around the 13th or 14th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Timmer can be found in a Dutch census record from the city of Leiden in 1477, where a person named Jan Timmer is listed as a resident. The name is also mentioned in various municipal records and guild registers from the 16th and 17th centuries in cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

The name Timmer is believed to have originated from the Middle Dutch word "timmeren," which means "to build with wood" or "to construct." This word can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic root "timrjan," which is related to the Old English word "timbrian" and the Old High German word "zimbren," both of which also refer to woodworking or construction.

In the 17th century, during the Dutch Golden Age, the name Timmer gained prominence as several individuals with this surname made significant contributions to various fields. One notable figure was Jacobus Timmer (1590-1653), a Dutch painter who specialized in still-life and genre paintings.

Another influential individual with this surname was Pieter Timmer (1637-1711), a Dutch mathematician and astronomer who made important discoveries in the field of optics and lens-making. He is credited with developing an improved method for grinding and polishing lenses, which contributed to the advancement of telescopes and microscopes.

In the 18th century, the name Timmer continued to be found in various Dutch records, including the birth and marriage registers of several cities. A notable person from this period was Cornelis Timmer (1724-1796), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his landscape paintings and etchings.

As the Dutch explored and colonized various parts of the world, the surname Timmer spread to other regions, including the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and the Dutch colonies in North America, such as New Amsterdam (later renamed New York).

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Timmer in North America dates back to the 17th century, when a man named Dirck Timmer was listed as a resident of New Amsterdam in a census record from 1662.

Overall, the surname Timmer has a rich history rooted in the Dutch language and culture, with a strong association to the trades of woodworking and construction. It has been carried by numerous individuals throughout the centuries, some of whom have made significant contributions in various fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Timmer

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Timmer, 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!