Zimmermann
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Word/name | Germanic, Teutonic |
| Meaning | Carpenter, room builder |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Zimmer, Zimmerman, Carpenter (surname), Carpentier, Charpentier, Timmerman |
Zimmermann is a German occupational surname which is literally an older German term for a carpenter. The modern German terms for the occupation of carpenter are Zimmerer, Tischler, or Schreiner, but Zimmermann is still used.
Zimmer in German means room or archaically a chamber within a structure. The German man or mann is, in English the extra n is ignored, man or worker. Combining the two German words you get a worker of wood or literally translated room man or room worker.[1][2]
Zimmermann, as a surname is often confused with Zimmerman. The loss or addition of the double "n" may imply many things. This may include linguistic, racial, ethnic, religious or other cultural variations.[3]
Many German names were often Anglicized or simplified by immigration officials upon entry into the United States. With Zimmermann the double 'n' Zimmermann was often seen as redundant in countries where English was spoken. As a part of routine, German names were often Anglicized or simplified later by immigrants to better fit in. Zimmerman became Carpenter for example. Sometimes this was done by immigration officials upon entry into the United States when the immigrant did not know how to spell their name and that variant became the legal name.
Notable people with the surname
- Alain Zimmermann (born 1967), German businessman
- Adolphus Zimmermann, American politician
- Arthur Zimmermann (1864–1940), German Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in 1917
- Bodo Zimmermann (1886–1963), a German general during World War II
- Dominikus Zimmermann (1685–1766), rococo architect
- Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann (1743–1815), German geographer and zoologist
- Elizabeth Zimmermann (1910–1999), British-born knitter and writer
- Evan Zimmermann (born 1968), American businessman
- Friedrich Zimmermann (1925-2012), German politician
- Jens Zimmermann, Canadian academic
- Jens Zimmermann (host) (born 1972), German announcer
- Jérémie Zimmermann, (born 1978) co-founder of the Paris-based La Quadrature du Net
- Jeri Lynn Zimmermann, birth (1968) name of Jeri Ryan, actress
- Johann Georg Ritter von Zimmermann (1728–1795), Swiss philosopher and physician
- Johann Jacob Zimmermann (1644–1693), German nonconformist
- Joseph Zimmermann (1912–2004), American inventor of the first successful answering machine
- Lydia Zimmermann (born 1966), Spanish filmmaker
- Marie Zimmermann (1878–1972), American designer
- Paul Zimmermann (born 1964), French computational mathematician
- Paul Zimmermann A.W.C.B. (born 1939), German blacksmith who created contemporary forge work
- Philip R. Zimmermann (born 1954), creator of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) e-mail encryption software
- Raquel Zimmermann (born 1983), Brazilian fashion model
- Reinhard Sebastian Zimmermann (1815–1893), German artist
- Warren Zimmermann (1934–2004), American ambassador
Composers
- Bernd Alois Zimmermann (1918–1970), German composer of the opera Die Soldaten
- Udo Zimmermann (born 1943), German composer from Dresden, not related
- Walter Zimmermann (born 1949), German composer from Schwabach, not related
Musicians
- Dan Zimmermann (born 1966), German drummer for power metal band Gamma Ray
- Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, birth name of Ethel Merman (1908–1984), American singer and actress
- Frank Peter Zimmermann (born 1965), German violinist
- Josef Zimmermann,
- German Cologne Cathedral organist
- German weight lifter
- Margarita Zimmermann (born 1942), Argentinian mezzo-soprano
- Robert Allen Zimmerman (Born 1941) American Musician, best known as Bob Dylan.
- Tabea Zimmermann (born 1966), German violist
Sportspeople
- Andréa Zimmermann (born 1976), Swiss ski mountaineer
- Andreas Zimmermann (born 1969), German footballer
- Cyril Zimmermann (born 1976), Swiss football referee
- Egon Zimmermann, (born 1939) 1964 Olympic alpine skier from Austria
- Egon Zimmermann I (born 1933), 1960 Olympic alpine skier from Austria and who married Penny Pitou
- Herbert Zimmermann (football commentator) (1917 – 1966), German football commentator and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipient
- Herbert Zimmermann (footballer) (born 1954), German football player
- Jordan Zimmermann (born 1986), Major League Baseball pitcher
- Pierre Zimmermann (bridge), Monegasque bridge player
See also
References
- ^ Combined from several sources including: Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, 1996 by Barnes & Noble Books, and Concise Oxford Dictionary - 10th Edition by Oxford University Press.
- ^ Online Etymology Dictionary by Douglas Harper, 2001-2010, accessed April 13, 2010.
- ^ Zimmerman - Zimmermann name history - http://www.ancestry.com/facts/zimmerman-family-history.ashx
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