Kimmel
A surname of German origin, likely linked to the spice caraway or cumin, though some historical writers also treated it as a variant of similar German names.
The #3,396 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,326 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kimmel is generally treated as a German surname, but the older sources available here do not give a direct headword explanation. The most likely connection is with German Kummel/Kümmel, a word for caraway or cumin, suggesting a name originally associated with the spice or with someone connected to it. In older naming practice, such forms could arise as occupational, descriptive, or simply as regional spelling variants.
History
The name appears in German-language surname lists and comparison tables as a form near Kummel/Kümmel and related names. It is found among German and German-American bearers, and in the United States it has become an established but moderately uncommon surname. Because the supplied excerpts are incidental mentions rather than a direct dictionary entry, the exact derivation remains somewhat uncertain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
An older reference grouped Kimmel alongside other German surnames that can shift by vowel spelling, showing how fluid surname forms were in historical records.
From the historical record
“drink, Mescal, Pulk6, Vodk^, Fusel, - Punches, Jultp, Sher- bet, Smash, Flip, Toddy, Bounce, Sangaree, Amck, Kava,* Fiz, Rickey, Goodhorn, - Schnapps, Kimmel, Kirsch, Cider, Beer, Beerfoam, Lager, Dutch-lager, Beerwort, Barley wort, Bock, Malt, Pop, Table-porter, Swats, Good-ale, Grood-beer, Casebeer, Winebeer…”
— A Grammar of American Surnames