German: metonymic occupational name for a carpenter either from Middle High German zim(b)erzimmer ‘wood wooden building’ or a shortening of Zimmermann .
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
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Where is the Zimmer family from?
You can see how Zimmer families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Zimmer family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Zimmer families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 29 Zimmer families living in New York. This was about 52% of all the recorded Zimmer's in USA. New York had the highest population of Zimmer families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Zimmer surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Zimmer. 13% of Zimmer men worked as a Farmer and 8% of Zimmer women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Zimmer were Clerk and Maid. .
Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Zimmer life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Zimmer in 1944 was 31, and 77 in 2004.