Kilmer
A German surname that likely began as a shortened form of an old personal name built from elements meaning “hostage” and “army,” though the evidence is thin.
The #5,938 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 53,241 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is probably connected with a Germanic personal name such as Gisalhari, made from elements meaning “hostage” or “pledge” and “army.” In the excerpted scholarship, Kilmer is treated as a shortened or altered form of that older given name rather than as a place-name or occupation. The ending was later simplified into the modern surname form Kilmer.
History
The historical evidence in the supplied excerpts is brief and indirect, but it places Kilmer among a cluster of German surnames derived from old personal names. In the United States, it is best known through later bearers of German-American background, and the name appears to have remained relatively uncommon. Because the available source material is limited, the exact pathway from the older form to Kilmer cannot be stated with high confidence.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname appears in a 1902 German surname study alongside several other names built from the same ancient naming elements.
From the historical record
“GAUD, "Goth"; dim. (z), Kautz, Gautsch. Gis, GISAL, hostage (prisoner of war); Kilmer (Gisal -f- hari); pat., Geissler ; Geisswein (Gis -f- win); sing. st. ab. , Geiss, Giese, Kiese ; dim. (1), Geissli, Kiihl ; pat., Geisser, Geissinger. GOD, God; Goder (God + hari); Gottschalk (God + schalc) Gottwalt (God + wald)…”
— Studies in Pennsylvania German Family Names