Lamm
A surname most likely from a word for “lamb,” used as a nickname or shortened form of a longer name.
The #5,680 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 50,573 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lamm is most likely connected with words for “lamb” in several European languages, especially German and Dutch, and may have begun as a nickname for a gentle person or as a shortened form of a longer name such as Lambert. The historical sources also point to a Germanic personal-name element and to short forms like Flemish or Dutch Lamm from Lambert. In some cases, the surname may simply reflect a nickname rather than a single fixed source.
History
The name appears in several northern European surname traditions, including German, Dutch, and French contexts, where short forms and pet forms were common. In English-speaking records it has also been treated as a nickname surname. Because similar forms can arise independently in different languages, modern bearers may not all share one family origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A number of 19th-century surname writers grouped Lamm with other animal-based nicknames such as Lamb, suggesting it was recognized early as a compact, everyday-style byname.
From the historical record
“Lalor. Fr. Lalot, Lalou ; p.n. Lamb. N Lambi (a lamb) ; S. Lamby, Lamm ; Dch. Lam ; FI. Lamme ; D.B. Lambe ; p.n. Lambert. From St Lambert ; a loc. n., Belg. and France. A.S. Lambeorht, Landbeorht ; Fr. Lambard, Lambert, Lambret; D.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)