2000
#10,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,730
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Timmer
An occupational surname referring to a carpenter or wood craftsman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,262 Americans carry the last name Timmer. That puts it at #10,718 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,075 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Timmer 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.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 105,075
Census rank
#10,718
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,845 bearers of the surname Timmer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10718th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Timmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Timmer
Among Census respondents with the surname Timmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Timmer 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 Timmer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 2,570
- Two or more races3.1% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 82
- Black or African American2.5% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Timmer
Timmer 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
#10,510
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,054
+324 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 220 places
2020
#10,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,845
-209 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 208 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,730 | 2,730 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,510 | 3,054 | 1.04 | +324 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 220 places |
| 2020 | #10,718 | 2,845 | 0.95 | -209 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 208 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 Timmer 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 | #10,510 | #10,718 | -2.0% |
| Count | 3,054 | 2,845 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.95 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Timmer bearers went from 3,054 to 2,845 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 208 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,510 to #10,718.
FAQ
Timmer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Timmer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,262 living Americans carry the surname Timmer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,075 residents.
How common is Timmer?
Timmer ranks #10,718 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,845 people with the surname Timmer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,262), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Timmer.
Has Timmer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Timmer went from 3,054 recorded bearers to 2,845. That is a decrease of 209 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,510 to #10,718.
What does the Census say about the background of Timmer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Timmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Timmer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (2,570 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Timmer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Timmer (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 Timmer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a carpenter or wood craftsman. 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 Timmer (0.95 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 many Americans have the surname Timmer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.