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

Zillmer, 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 Zillmer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zillmer in America

Zillmer is the 40745th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zillmer surname appeared 536 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Zillmer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zillmer 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 Zillmer

The surname Zillmer has its roots in the region of Silesia, an area historically situated between modern-day Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Silesia experienced significant German influence during the medieval period, and the surname Zillmer is believed to have originated from the German language. The earliest records trace the surname to around the 13th century, a time marked by Germanic migrations and settlements in Silesia.

The name Zillmer is likely derived from an older German word, possibly "silma" or "zilma," which means a small stream or brook, suggesting the geographical features of the areas where the original bearers of this name lived. It could also be connected to the placename Zilmen which is similar in phonetics. This etymology indicates that the family might have lived near a notable water feature, which was a popular method of surname formation in medieval Europe.

Historical records show variations in the spelling of Zillmer, including Zilmer and Zylmer. The name first appears in written form in charters and land records from Silesia in the 14th century. One of the earliest documented instances is from 1381 when a Heinrich Zillmer is mentioned in the records of Wroclaw (then Breslau), a prominent city in the region.

By the late 15th century, the surname had spread to other parts of the Holy Roman Empire, and individuals bearing the name Zillmer appear in various tax registers and property documents. Hans Zillmer, a merchant from Breslau, is recorded in 1492 as a notable figure within the mercantile community, indicating the family's social rise during the Renaissance period.

In the 17th century, the Thirty Years' War and subsequent changes in territorial boundaries caused significant migrations, spreading the Zillmer surname further afield. Franz Zillmer, born in 1603, became a notable military officer in the service of the Habsburg Monarchy. His career is well-documented in military archives, underlining the diverse roles individuals with this surname have assumed through history.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Zillmer surname appeared in Prussian military and civil records, reflecting the administrative rigor of the Kingdom of Prussia. One prominent individual from this period is Johann Zillmer, born in 1765, who served as a high-ranking official in the Prussian civil service.

Thus, the Zillmer surname encompasses both geographical and historical significance, marked by its origin in medieval Silesia and its dispersion across Central Europe through the impacts of socio-political changes and migration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zillmer

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

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

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

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