TIMS
Tims is an English surname that originated as a patronymic form of the medieval given name Tim, a common short version of Timothy. The name Timothy itself is derived from the Greek personal name Timotheos, meaning “honouring God” or “one who fears God.” As a patronymic, the use of “Tims” signalled that the bearer was the son of a person called Tim or Timothy.
Historical records show the surname in several orthographic variants, including Timbs, Timms, Timmes, Timson, Tyms and Tymms. The earliest documented instance is that of William Tymmes appearing in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in the year 1332, during the reign of King Edward III.
Additional records from the 14th and 16th centuries provide further evidence of the surname’s presence in England. In 1565 a Richard Tyms is mentioned at New Colleg, Oxford; in 1699 James Timms was christened at St. Sepulchre’s; and on 1 July 1752 Edward Timbs married Henrietta Maria Smith at St. Antholins church in London.
While the bulk of the evidence points to an English origin, alternative etymologies have been proposed. One suggestion traces the name back to the pre‑7th Century personal name Tima, a derivative of the early Germanic name Timmo which itself is a diminutive of Dietmar (from the elements theudo “people” and meri/mari “famous”). This theory, however, remains speculative as the modern patronymic surname likely arose independently of the later use of the name Timothy.
In the late Middle Ages a different explanation appeared, linking the surname to the Middle English word tym (from German zimme, meaning “room” or “chamber”). According to this account the name was used as a nickname for individuals associated with chambers or small dwellings, or as a toponymic reference to a place such as the village of Tym in Somerset or Warwickshire. The surname could also denote a family line whose ancestor was known as Tym, which would make it a patronymic in origin.
In contemporary times, the surname Tims remains most common in the United States and Australia. Within the United States, concentrations are greatest in Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee, with the city of Louisville, Kentucky, recording the largest number of bearers. In Australia the name is distributed across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, with an estimated 4,000 individuals carrying the surname. Smaller populations are found in New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Variations of the surname in different regions include Timmes, Teems, Timmons, Tyms and Timson. In Scotland the spelling Timson is recorded, while in Germany the form Timmes appears. In Scandinavia similar names such as Timsson in Sweden and Timmsson in Denmark are seen, though they are plausibly unrelated to the English lineage.
Overall, the surname Tims carries a clear patronymic heritage linked to the Greek derivation of Timothy. Its recorded history dates back to the early 14th century, and it continues to be borne by thousands of individuals around the world, reflecting both its medieval roots and its modern distribution.
Typical given names associated with the Tims surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- Ian
- John
- Kevin
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Simon
Female
- Caroline
- Christine
- Emily
- Grainne
- Helen
- Joan
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Rachel
- Sarah
- Susan
- Zoe
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 Tims in...
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There are approximately 702 people named Tims in the UK. That makes it roughly the 9,684th most common surname in Britain. Around 11 in a million people in Britain are named Tims.
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
