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

Zimmerman, 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 Zimmerman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zimmerman in America

Zimmerman is the 379th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zimmerman surname appeared 83,265 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 28 people would have the surname Zimmerman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zimmerman 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 Zimmerman

The surname Zimmerman is of German origin, derived from the German word "Zimmermann," which means "carpenter" or "woodworker." It dates back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century, when surnames first became common in Germany.

The name is believed to have originated in various regions of Germany, as carpentry was a widespread trade during that time period. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents and records from various German states and principalities.

One notable early reference to the name Zimmerman can be found in the Schwäbisches Wörterbuch (Swabian Dictionary), a comprehensive dictionary of the Swabian dialect, published in the 19th century. It includes entries for "Zimmermann" and its variants, indicating the longstanding use of the name in the Swabian region of southwestern Germany.

Another early mention of the name Zimmerman appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis (Diplomatic Code of Brandenburg), a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to the 13th century. This reference suggests that the name was also present in the northern regions of Germany during the medieval period.

Among the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Zimmerman was Hans Zimmerman, a woodcarver and sculptor who lived in Nuremberg, Germany, in the late 15th century (c. 1450-1525). His intricate woodcarvings can still be found in churches and museums across Germany.

Another notable figure with the surname Zimmerman was Johann Georg Zimmermann (1728-1795), a Swiss philosophical writer and physician who was highly influential during the Age of Enlightenment. His works, such as "On National Pride" and "On Solitude," explored themes of nationalism, individualism, and the human condition.

In the realm of music, Hans Zimmermann (c. 1518-1565) was a German composer and organist from Leipzig, known for his contributions to the development of the Protestant church music tradition in Germany during the Reformation era.

The surname Zimmerman has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Zimmermannsfeld, Zimmermannshaus, and Zimmermannsruh, which likely derived their names from the presence of carpenters or woodworkers in those areas.

Other notable individuals with the surname Zimmerman include Johann Jakob Zimmermann (1644-1693), a Swiss mathematician and astronomer, and Reinhard Zimmermann (1815-1893), a German historian and philologist who specialized in the study of medieval literature and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zimmerman

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

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

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

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