2000
#350
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 80,944
First available Census row
Per 100,000 30.01
Uncommon Last name
Zimmerman
A German occupational surname referring to a carpenter, derived from the German words "zimmer" (room) and "mann" (man).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 94,558 Americans carry the last name Zimmerman. That puts it at #382 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 27.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,625 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zimmerman surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Zimmerman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
95K
1 in 3,625
Census rank
#382
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
27.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
82K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 82,459 bearers of the surname Zimmerman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 27.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 382nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zimmerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents and records from various German states and principalities.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zimmerman
Among Census respondents with the surname Zimmerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Zimmerman bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Zimmerman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 75,625
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 2,245
- Two or more races2.5% · 2,050
- Black or African American2.2% · 1,790
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 499
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 250
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zimmerman
Zimmerman appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 83,265
+2,321 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 28.23
Rank movement Down 29 places
2020
#382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 82,459
-806 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 27.59
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #350 | 80,944 | 30.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #379 | 83,265 | 28.23 | +2,321 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 29 places |
| 2020 | #382 | 82,459 | 27.59 | -806 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 3 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Zimmerman surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #379 | #382 | -0.8% |
| Count | 83,265 | 82,459 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 28.23 | 27.59 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zimmerman bearers went from 83,265 to 82,459 (-1.0% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #379 to #382.
FAQ
Zimmerman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zimmerman?
Name Census estimates that about 94,558 living Americans carry the surname Zimmerman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,625 residents.
How common is Zimmerman?
Zimmerman ranks #382 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 27.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 28 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 82,459 people with the surname Zimmerman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (94,558), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 27.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 27.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 28 of them to have the surname Zimmerman.
Has Zimmerman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zimmerman went from 83,265 recorded bearers to 82,459. That is a decrease of 806 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #379 to #382.
What does the Census say about the background of Zimmerman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zimmerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Zimmerman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (75,625 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zimmerman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Zimmerman (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Zimmerman mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a carpenter, derived from the German words "zimmer" (room) and "mann" (man). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Zimmerman (27.59 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Zimmerman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.