2000
#4,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,252
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.69
Rare Last name
Timmerman
An occupational surname referring to a carpenter or woodworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,055 Americans carry the last name Timmerman. That puts it at #4,873 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,552 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Timmerman 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
8.1K
1 in 42,552
Census rank
#4,873
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,024 bearers of the surname Timmerman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4873rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Timmerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Timmerman
The surname Timmerman originated in the Low Countries, which refers to the region encompassing modern-day Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of northern France. It first emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name Timmerman is derived from the Middle Dutch words "timmeren," meaning "to build or construct," and "man," indicating a person. Therefore, Timmerman translates to "carpenter" or "builder" and was likely an occupational surname given to those who worked in the construction trades.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Timmerman can be found in the records of the city of Bruges, Belgium, from the year 1367. The document mentions a certain "Jan Timmerman," who was a carpenter by trade.
Another notable early reference to the name comes from the Dutch province of Friesland, where a "Wouter Timmerman" is mentioned in the village records of Harlingen in the year 1412.
In the 15th century, a variant spelling of the name, "Timmermann," appeared in the records of the city of Delft, in the Netherlands. This entry, dated 1487, refers to a man named "Claes Timmermann."
Throughout the centuries, several individuals with the surname Timmerman have achieved historical significance. One such person was Willem Timmerman (1581-1653), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life paintings and landscapes.
Another notable bearer of the name was Jan Timmerman (1726-1795), a Dutch politician and lawyer who served as the Mayor of Rotterdam from 1790 to 1795.
In the 19th century, Johannes Timmerman (1806-1875) was a Dutch linguist and author who made significant contributions to the study of the Frisian language.
The name Timmerman also has connections to place names. For example, the town of Timmermans Hoek in the Dutch province of Zeeland is believed to be named after an early resident with the surname Timmerman.
Additionally, the Timmermansstraat (Timmerman Street) in the city of Amsterdam serves as a further testament to the historical presence and influence of this surname in the Netherlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Timmerman
Among Census respondents with the surname Timmerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Timmerman 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 Timmerman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 6,450
- Two or more races3.3% · 235
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 155
- Black or African American1.4% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Timmerman
Timmerman 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
#4,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,569
+317 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Down 181 places
2020
#4,873
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,024
-545 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 2.35
Rank movement Down 185 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,507 | 7,252 | 2.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,688 | 7,569 | 2.57 | +317 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 181 places |
| 2020 | #4,873 | 7,024 | 2.35 | -545 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 185 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 Timmerman 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 | #4,688 | #4,873 | -3.9% |
| Count | 7,569 | 7,024 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.57 | 2.35 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Timmerman bearers went from 7,569 to 7,024 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 185 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,688 to #4,873.
FAQ
Timmerman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Timmerman?
Name Census estimates that about 8,055 living Americans carry the surname Timmerman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,552 residents.
How common is Timmerman?
Timmerman ranks #4,873 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,024 people with the surname Timmerman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,055), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Timmerman.
Has Timmerman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Timmerman went from 7,569 recorded bearers to 7,024. That is a decrease of 545 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,688 to #4,873.
What does the Census say about the background of Timmerman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Timmerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Timmerman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (6,450 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Timmerman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Timmerman (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 Timmerman mean?
An occupational surname 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 Timmerman (2.35 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 people have the surname Timmerman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.