2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Timmerberg
A Dutch toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a wooded hill or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Timmerberg. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Timmerberg 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Timmerberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Timmerberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Timmerberg
The surname Timmerberg is of German origin, with roots dating back to the late Middle Ages. It is thought to have originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in areas around modern-day Lower Saxony and Bremen.
The name is a compound word derived from the Middle Low German words "timmeren," meaning "to build or construct," and "berg," meaning "hill" or "mountain." This combination suggests that the name may have been given to an individual or family that lived or worked on a hill or mountain involved in construction or woodworking.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Timmerberg can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 14th century. In this record, a certain Henning Timmerberg is mentioned as a resident of the city in the year 1372.
Another notable early reference to the name comes from the town of Hadeln, located in the Cuxhaven district of Lower Saxony. Here, a merchant named Hans Timmerberg is recorded as having lived in the late 15th century, around the year 1482.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Timmerberg was Joachim Timmerberg, a Lutheran theologian and reformer born in the town of Oldenburg in 1535. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement in northern Germany and authored several theological works.
Moving forward to the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the city of Hamburg, where a merchant named Gerhard Timmerberg is mentioned in relation to trade activities in the year 1642.
A more recent historical figure with the surname Timmerberg was Johann Timmerberg, a German architect and builder who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Born in 1772, he was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in the city of Bremen, including the St. Martini Church.
Throughout its history, the surname Timmerberg has maintained a strong association with the northern regions of Germany, particularly in areas around Lower Saxony, Bremen, and Hamburg. While not a particularly widespread name, it has left its mark on the historical records of these regions, reflecting the professions and trades of its bearers over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Timmerberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Timmerberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Timmerberg 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 Timmerberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Timmerberg
Timmerberg 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
#123,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
+6 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 3,466 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-18 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,513 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,796 | 139 | 0.05 | +6 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 3,466 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 17,513 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 Timmerberg 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 | #123,796 | #141,309 | -14.1% |
| Count | 139 | 121 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Timmerberg bearers went from 139 to 121 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 17,513 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,796 to #141,309.
FAQ
Timmerberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Timmerberg?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Timmerberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Timmerberg?
Timmerberg ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Timmerberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Timmerberg.
Has Timmerberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Timmerberg went from 139 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 18 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,796 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Timmerberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Timmerberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Timmerberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Timmerberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Timmerberg (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 Timmerberg mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a wooded hill or mountain. 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 Timmerberg (0.04 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 Timmerberg?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.