Timm
A short form of Timothy, Timm began as a baptismal-name surname and later spread into several related spellings.
The #3,753 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 32,730 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Timm is a surname that developed from the given name Timothy. In the older surname dictionaries, it is treated as a diminutive or short form of Timothy, with related forms such as Timms, Tims, Timson, and Timmings. Ultimately, Timothy comes through Latin from Greek Timotheos, built from words meaning “honour” and “God.”
History
Historical surname writers place Timm among a wider family of English baptismal surnames formed from Timothy. The name appears in records with several spellings, especially Timms and Tims, and it has remained relatively uncommon compared with those more frequent variants. Because the surname is short and phonetically simple, spellings could vary easily in earlier records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older reference works group Timm with an unusually large cluster of Timothy-based surnames, showing how many different endings could grow from one personal name.
From the historical record
“Itably local. TIMM. TIMMS. See Timothy. TIMxAIINGS. See Tunothy. TUNIMINS. A diminutive of Timothy, TBIOTIIY. The baptismal name, whence the derivatives Tinim, Tims, Timms, Timbs, Timmings, Timson, Timp- son, Timpkins. TIMPERLEY. A township in Cheshire.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom