TIMMINS
Timmins is an English surname that can be characterised as a patronymic derivative of the Old English personal name Tyma. The root Tyma conveys the notion of fame or renown, while the suffix -ing denotes son of. Consequently, the name has been historically interpreted as son of Tyma or as son of the famous one.
The surname is connected with a number of medieval variants, such as Timmon, Timmin, Timmins, Tuminns, Tummon, Tummond and Tuman. These forms illustrate the fluid orthography of the period and signpost the spread of the name throughout the English counties.
Records show the name attested as early as 1273 in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, where a Gilbert Timin is noted. Earlier, in 1241, a Thomas Timmins was baptised in Oxfordshire. The presence of the surname in the 13th‑century and subsequent centuries suggests a firmly established lineage in the British Isles.
The derivation of the personal name Timon or Timaeus is also a recognised element of the surname’s history. These Greek names were common in Classical Greece and relate to the word timen, meaning honour or accord. In medieval England the personal name Timon yielded diminutives such as Timmyn and was attached to place names like Timonmoor and Timonholme. Consequently, bearers of the surname could have derived it either from a paternal ancestor or from a locational association.
Christian adoption of the name is evidenced by the popularity of Timotheus, rendered in English as Timothy. The earliest Christian speakers of the name in England were likely introduced by the Knights Templar after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Diminutive forms of the name appear in ecclesiastical records from the 13th century onwards, including an Agnes Tymandson of York in 1477 and John Timmens, who died in 1603 at St Michaels Church, Cornhill, London.
In the post‑Reformation era, the surname continues to appear in parish registers across England. Witnesses named William Timmins and Wheeler Tuman are recorded at St Mary Woolnoth and St Dunstans, respectively, in the early 1600s and 1700s. Marriages such as that of Ellen Tummons with George Donelly in 1845 at St Bridges, Fleet Street, London, indicate the persistence of the name into the Victorian period.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, many individuals of the Timmins family emigrated from the British Isles to North America. The town of Timmins in Ontario, established in 1912 during a gold rush, bears the surname, and in contemporary times the name remains present in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and parts of India. In the United States it is most frequently found in the Upper Midwest states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, while in the United Kingdom it is generally concentrated in larger metropolitan areas such as London and New‑York City.
Though the surname has a distinct English heritage, the Greek and, to a lesser extent, Germanic elements of its origin underscore the influence of biblical and classical traditions on English onomastics. Modern bearers of the name can often trace their ancestry to a lineage that demonstrates a long‑standing presence in the British Isles and a branching out to various regions of the world during the last two centuries.
Typical given names associated with the Timmins surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
Female
- Denise
- Gail
- Janet
- Jayne
- Joanne
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Timmins in...
Braille
⠞⠊⠍⠍⠊⠝⠎
Morse
-..----..-....
Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Timmins are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Ginger Nut.
There are approximately 6,386 people named Timmins in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,484th most common surname in Britain. Around 98 in a million people in Britain are named Timmins.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Timmins
- Charlie Timmins - Football player (1922 to 2010)
- Callum Timmins - Football player
- Shaun Timmins - Irish football player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.