Zimmerman - Surname Meaning and Family History

The Zimmermann / Zimmerman  surname originated as the German  occupational name Zimmermann  derived from the German word for carpenter. From the Middle High German zimber, meaning timber, wood and mann, man. This surname was sometimes Americanized as Carpenter. ZIMMERMANN is the 20th most common German surname.   Surname Origin:  German, Jewish Alternate Surname Spellings:  ZIMMERMAN, ZIMERMAN, ZYMERMANN, ZIMMERER, ZIMERMAN, CIMERMAN, CYMERMAN, CIMERMANN , TIMMERMAN, TIMMERMANN, SIMMERMAN, SIMMERMANN Famous People with the Surname ZIMMERMAN Rachel Zimmerman - inventor of the Blissymbol printerArthur Zimmermann -  State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the German Empire during WWI; author of the infamous Zimmermann TelegramJordan Zimmermann -  American professional MLB baseball pitcher  Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman) - American singer-songwriter- American known for the shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida in 2012 Where is the ZIMMERMANN  Surname Most Commonly Found? Surname distribution data on  Forebears ranks Zimmermann as the 20th most common surname in Germany, while the Zimmerman spelling is more common in the United States. Zimmermann is also very common in Switzerland, where it ranks 14th in the nation, and in Austria, where it comes in 66th. WorldNames PublicProfiler indicates that the Zimmermann surname is fairly common throughout Germany, with a slight edge in the regions of Sachsen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Baden-Wà ¼rttemberg, and Thà ¼ringen, as well as Alsace, France. According to surname distribution maps from Verwandt.de, there are over 119,000 individuals with the Zimmermann surname living in Germany. The greatest numbers are found around the cities of Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, and Munich, as well as a cluster around Rhein-Neckar-Kreis and Karlsruhe. Genealogy Resources for the Surname ZIMMERMANN Common German Surnames Their MeaningsUncover the meaning of your German last name with this free guide to German surnames meanings and origins. Zimmerman  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Zimmerman  family crest or coat of arms for the Zimmerman surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. Carpenter Cousins  Y-DNA ProjectThis project is focused on individuals with the Carpenter, Zimmerman and variant surnames interested in using  Y-DNA testing and traditional genealogical research to identify  genetically distinct Carpenter and Zimmerman lines, both English and German. Zimmerman Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Zimmerman surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Zimmerman query. There is also a separate forum for the Zimmermann spelling. FamilySearch - ZIMMERMAN  GenealogyExplore over 1.5  million  historical records which mention individuals with the Zimmerman surname, as well as online Zimmerman family trees on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ZIMMERMAN  Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts a free mailing list for researchers of the Zimmerman  surname, as well as a separate list for the Zimmermann spelling. DistantCousin.com - ZIMMERMANN Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Zimmermann. GeneaNet - Zimmermann  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Zimmerman  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France, Germany and other European countries. The Zimmermann  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Zimmermann  from the website of Genealogy Today.----------------------- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back to  Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins