Heim
A German and Scandinavian surname meaning “home” or “village,” often from a place-name ending in -heim.
The #2,513 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,420 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Heim comes from the old Germanic word for “home,” “house,” or “settlement.” In Old High German and related languages, this element appears as heim/haims and is also found in many place names ending in -heim, meaning “home village” or “homestead.” As a surname, it usually began as a locational name for someone from such a place, though in some cases it may reflect the older word for a dwelling or estate more generally.
History
The surname is especially common in German-speaking areas, where -heim place names are widespread. It also appears in Scandinavian and English records through related Germanic naming patterns, and some families may have adopted it directly from place names such as Oppenheim or other -heim settlements. Because the element is so common, several apparently similar surnames can have different local histories.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same ancient root behind Heim also appears in many European place names ending in -heim, a very old way of saying “home village.”
From the historical record
“Heim- s. 1) Hag (V.) 2) Heim I. -heim, -helmb s. Heim HI. HEIM I. got. haims Dorf, ahd. mhd. heim „Haus, Heim". FN. Haimperht: Heimbrecht; Heimbrodt. Heimard: Heimert; Heimer. Haimrich: Heimrich; Heimreich — Himmrich — auch durch Ab- schwächung des ra: Heinrich y wo dann die FF. mit Hagen- in ein- ander fließen.…”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen