Wimmer last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Wimmer

A German occupational surname referring to someone who measured or inspected goods, derived from the Middle High German "wimare."

Wimmer, 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 Wimmer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wimmer in America

Wimmer is the 5493rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wimmer surname appeared 6,334 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Wimmer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wimmer 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 5493 5154 6.37%
Count 6,334 6,246 1.40%
Proportion per 100k 2.15 2.32 -7.61%

The history of the last name Wimmer

The surname Wimmer has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in Germany and Austria. It is derived from the Old High German word "wimmer," which means "mover" or "one who turns." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a miller or was involved in a profession that involved turning or spinning.

The name Wimmer can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with some of the earliest recorded instances found in medieval German documents and records. One notable example is the mention of a "Chunrat Wimmer" in a 13th-century manuscript from the city of Nuremberg.

During the 15th century, the name Wimmer appeared in various German-speaking regions, including Bavaria and Saxony. In the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, there are records of a "Hans Wimmer" who lived in the late 1400s and was a prominent citizen.

As people began to migrate and settle in different parts of Europe, the name Wimmer spread to other areas. In the 16th century, there were Wimmers recorded in Switzerland and Austria, indicating the family's expansion beyond Germany's borders.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Wimmer include:

  1. Johann Wimmer (1679-1744), a German composer and organist who worked in the court of the Elector of Bavaria.
  2. Maria Anna Wimmer (1758-1828), an Austrian midwife and author who wrote a influential book on midwifery practices.
  3. Friedrich Wimmer (1803-1868), a German philologist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Old Norse and Germanic languages.
  4. Joseph Wimmer (1828-1892), an Austrian architect and church builder known for his work on numerous churches and cathedrals in Austria and Germany.
  5. Otto Wimmer (1889-1965), a German painter and artist associated with the Expressionist movement, known for his vibrant landscapes and cityscapes.

Throughout its history, the surname Wimmer has undergone various spellings and regional variations, such as Wimer, Wimär, and Wimmert, reflecting the influences of local dialects and language changes over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wimmer

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

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 Wimmer was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.41% 5,980
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.58% 37
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.66% 42
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.82% 52
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.52% 96
Hispanic Origin 2.01% 127

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 Wimmer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.41% 96.00% -1.67%
Black 0.58% 0.30% 63.64%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.66% 0.50% 27.59%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.82% 0.48% 52.31%
Two or More Races 1.52% 1.31% 14.84%
Hispanic 2.01% 1.41% 35.09%

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

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

Reference this page

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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!

"Wimmer last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/wimmer-surname-popularity/.

"Wimmer last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/wimmer-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Wimmer last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/wimmer-surname-popularity/.

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