Jimerson
An English-style patronymic surname meaning “son of Jimer” or a related Jimm- form, later carried especially in English-speaking America.
The #9,192 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 87,020 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Jimerson is best understood as a patronymic surname built on a personal name beginning with Jim- or Jimm-, with the ending -son meaning “son of.” The likely sense is “son of Jimer,” or more loosely a descendant of a Jim/Jimmy-type nickname. The historical excerpt also points toward related forms such as Jinks and Jinkin, suggesting a family of diminutive and patronymic surnames from the same base name.
History
The available excerpt is incidental rather than a full dictionary entry, so the exact derivation is not firmly established here. In practice, the surname is found mainly in English-speaking settings, especially the United States, where it may reflect either an older English surname tradition or later spelling variation from a similar family name. As with many patronymic surnames, spellings could shift over time in records, especially in migration and clerical copying.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The ending -son is one of the clearest clues in English surname history: it usually marks a family name formed from a father’s given name or nickname.
From the historical record
“William Gimmison, co. York. W. sa 1808. Married- John Handley and Elic Jimerson : St. Geo. Han. Sq. ii. ^89. Manchester, 1,0,0; Philadelphia, o, 3, 3. Jinkind, Jinks.—Bapt. <the son of John,* from dim. Jenkin, whence Jinkin, the patronymic of”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)