NameCensus.

UK surname

Rimer

A variant of the occupational surname "Rimmer" referring to a maker of rings or wheels.

In the 1881 census there were 89 people recorded with the Rimer surname, ranking it #21,091 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 80, ranked #33,030, down from #21,091 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to South Stoneham, Newcastle All Saints and St James Clerkenwell. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Calderdale, Derbyshire Dales and Hastings.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rimer is 192 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 10.1%.

1881 census count

89

Ranked #21,091

Modern count

80

2016, ranked #33,030

Peak year

1851

192 bearers

Map years

4

1851 to 1911

Key insights

  • Rimer had 89 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,091 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 80 in 2016, ranked #33,030.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 192 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Rimer surname distribution map

The map shows where the Rimer surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Rimer surname density by area, 1911 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rimer over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 192 #10,756
1861 historical 95 #21,768
1881 historical 89 #21,091
1891 historical 117 #21,658
1901 historical 112 #21,382
1911 historical 121 #20,336
1997 modern 102 #26,638
1998 modern 92 #28,680
1999 modern 101 #27,617
2000 modern 97 #28,142
2001 modern 88 #29,056
2002 modern 87 #29,644
2003 modern 77 #30,762
2004 modern 80 #30,679
2005 modern 86 #30,094
2006 modern 79 #31,263
2007 modern 83 #31,183
2008 modern 85 #31,247
2009 modern 88 #31,352
2010 modern 86 #32,081
2011 modern 81 #32,558
2012 modern 74 #33,348
2013 modern 74 #33,483
2014 modern 79 #33,205
2015 modern 80 #33,052
2016 modern 80 #33,030

Geography

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Where Rimers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around South Stoneham, Newcastle All Saints, St James Clerkenwell, Hesketh with Becconsall and Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Calderdale, Derbyshire Dales, Hastings, Wiltshire and Rhondda Cynon Taf. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 South Stoneham Hampshire
2 Newcastle All Saints Northumberland
3 St James Clerkenwell London (Central Districts)
4 Hesketh with Becconsall Lancashire
5 Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon) Northumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Calderdale 004 Calderdale
2 Derbyshire Dales 003 Derbyshire Dales
3 Hastings 010 Hastings
4 Wiltshire 062 Wiltshire
5 Rhondda Cynon Taf 024 Rhondda Cynon Taf

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rimer

These lists show first names that appear often with the Rimer surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rimer

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Rimer, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Rimer surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Rimer household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Rimer is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Rimer is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Rimer falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Rimer is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Rimer, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Rimer

The surname Rimer is believed to have originated in Germany, where it first appeared in the late 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old Germanic word "rīm," which means "counting" or "tally." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as an accountant or bookkeeper.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rimer can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from the city of Cologne, which mentions a man named Johannes Rimer. Another early reference is in a 1426 document from the town of Heidelberg, which lists a certain Heinrich Rimer as a local landowner.

By the 16th century, the name had spread to other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring regions such as Switzerland and Austria. In 1549, a man named Hans Rimer is recorded as having been a prominent merchant in the city of Augsburg.

The Rimer surname also appears to have been adopted by some families of Jewish descent, possibly due to the influence of Yiddish, which has roots in Germanic languages. One notable example is the 18th-century German rabbi and scholar Jacob Rimer, who was born in 1722 and died in 1795.

As German immigrants began to settle in other parts of Europe and the Americas, they brought the Rimer name with them. In the 19th century, a family of Rimers can be found living in the town of Dunfermline, Scotland, where they were engaged in the weaving trade.

Other notable individuals with the surname Rimer include the 19th-century German painter Carl Rimer (1818-1891), and the 20th-century American architect and engineer Paul Rimer (1906-1985), who was known for his work on several notable bridges and skyscrapers.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rimer families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rimer surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Northumberland leads with 21 Rimers recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.44x.

County Total Index
Northumberland 21 16.44x
Hampshire 20 11.37x
Middlesex 12 1.40x
Wiltshire 8 10.54x
Midlothian 7 6.09x
Yorkshire 7 0.82x
Caernarfonshire 5 14.41x
Lancashire 3 0.29x
Durham 2 0.78x
Montgomeryshire 2 10.17x
Glamorgan 1 0.67x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chirton in Northumberland leads with 14 Rimers recorded in 1881 and an index of 484.43x.

Place Total Index
Chirton 14 484.43x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 7 15.13x
Tynemouth 7 102.34x
Portsea 6 17.40x
Swindon 6 101.87x
Hackney London 5 10.39x
Llangybi 5 2941.18x
Holy Rood 4 1111.11x
Huddersfield 4 32.28x
Islington London 4 4.81x
Southampton St Lawrence 4 4444.44x
Crakehall 3 2142.86x
Widnes 3 40.82x
Carreghofa 2 1333.33x
Millbrook 2 45.15x
Netherhampton 2 4000.00x
St Marylebone London 2 4.36x
Cardiff St Mary 1 12.15x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 1 9.04x
Kensington London 1 2.10x
Northwood 1 39.84x
South Stoneham 1 26.18x
Southampton All Sts 1 33.11x
Southampton Holy Rood 1 555.56x
Staindrop 1 256.41x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Rimer surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 7
Elizabeth 4
Agnes 2
Ann 2
Eliza 2
Fanny 2
Margaret 2
(Mrs) 1
Ada 1
Amelia 1
Annie 1
Charlotte 1
Eleanor 1
Elizebth. 1
Ellen 1
Esther 1
Eva 1
Helena 1
Jane 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Lily 1
Lottie 1
Louisa 1
Margret 1
Martha 1
Sarah 1
Susan 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Rimer surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 5
William 5
James 4
Henry 3
Alfred 2
George 2
Thomas 2
Walter 2
Abraham 1
Anthony 1
Charles 1
Chas.Thos. 1
Eagar 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Frederick 1
Leonard 1
Matthew 1
Norman 1
Phillip 1
Richard 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Rimer surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rimer surname in 1881?

In 1881, 89 people were recorded with the Rimer surname. That placed it at #21,091 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rimer surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 80 in 2016. That gives Rimer a modern rank of #33,030.

What does the Rimer surname mean?

A variant of the occupational surname "Rimmer" referring to a maker of rings or wheels.

What does the Rimer map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Rimer bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.