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

Tims, 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 Tims surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tims in America

Tims is the 9165th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tims surname appeared 3,561 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 Tims.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tims 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 Tims

The surname Tims is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the medieval English personal name "Tim," which was a shortened form of the name "Timothy." The name Timothy itself has Greek origins, originating from the words "timao" meaning "to honor" and "theos" meaning "God."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tims can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1191, where a person named "Willelmus filius Timi" (William, son of Tim) is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use as a surname or a byname by the late 12th century.

The surname Tims is also believed to have been associated with certain place names in England, such as Timsbury in Somerset and Timsborough in Wiltshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling or pronunciation of the surname in different regions.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a landowner named "Timus" is recorded as holding lands in Wiltshire. While the spelling differs slightly, this could be an early reference to the surname's origins.

Notable historical figures with the surname Tims include:

1. William Tims (c. 1570-1624), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Ludgershall in 1604.
2. John Tims (1801-1875), a British architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in London.
3. Edward Tims (1838-1920), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire in the late 19th century.
4. Mary Tims (1873-1957), a British trade unionist and suffragette who campaigned for women's rights and better working conditions for women.
5. Arthur Tims (1889-1968), a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 16th Premier of New Brunswick from 1952 to 1960.

The surname Tims has undergone various spellings throughout history, including Tymes, Timmes, and Tymmes, reflecting regional variations and phonetic adaptations over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tims

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tims, please contact us.

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