ZIMMER

Zimmer is a surname of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word zimmer, which means “room” or “chamber”. The name was originally an occupational surname given to a chamberlain or to a person who managed rooms or chambers in a noble household. Over time, it also came to refer to a carpenter or master carpenter, as the word eventually acquired the meaning of a wooden building or timber.

Recorded in a variety of spellings – Zimmer, Zimmerle, Zimmerling, Zimmerman, Zimmermeister, Timmerman and the patronymic Zimmermanns – this very early Germanic occupational surname is among the first documented in the country. Early examples are the charter of Cunrod Zimmermanin of Tailfingen for the year 1200, the 1245 record of Heinricus Zimbermann in Zurich, the 1335 reference to Cunrat Czimerl in Wurttemberg, and the 1582 deed of Simon Zimmermeister in Lublin.

When the kings of Hanover, and hence kings of England, ascended to the throne in 1715, German emigration to America increased markedly. Many immigrants whose surnames had a direct English equivalent were encouraged to alter them; consequently some bearers of Zimmer or its variants were recorded as Carpenter in the United States. Nevertheless a substantial proportion retained the original name, and German‑speaking enclaves persisted for many decades, particularly in Pennsylvania, Ohio and the Midwest.

Today the surname Zimmer remains common across Germany, especially in regions where dialectal variation favours the shortened form. It is also widespread in countries that received significant German diaspora, including the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Australia. In Jewish communities the surname appears occasionally, occasionally distinguished from the German Zimmerman by Yiddish usage.

Among those who have achieved prominence are the film‑score composer Hans Zimmer and the American baseball executive Bill Zimmer. The name continues to be carried by individuals whose family histories trace back to the medieval trades of timber and chamber management.

Typical given names associated with the Zimmer surname

Male

• Andrew
• Christopher
• Daniel
• David
• George
• Gunter
• John
• Lee
• Mark
• Nicholas
• Paul
• Stephen
• Tobias

Female

• Alison
• Anne
• Birgit
• Erica
• Iris
• Jean
• Laetitia
• Margaret
• Patricia
• Sarah
• Sharon
• Susan
• Vicki
• Victoria

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 Zimmer in...

Braille

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Morse

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Semaphore

Did you know?

According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Zimmer are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Chocolate Digestive.

Region of origin: Europe

Country of origin: Germany

Language of origin: German

Famous people named Zimmer

• Hans Zimmer - German film composer and music producer

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.

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