NameCensus.

UK surname

Timms

An English surname derived from the given name Timothy, meaning "honoring God" or "fearing God" in Greek.

In the 1881 census there were 3,028 people recorded with the Timms surname, ranking it #1,482 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,996, ranked #1,355, up from #1,482 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory and Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Oxfordshire, Cherwell and South Northamptonshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Timms is 5,401 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 65.0%.

1881 census count

3,028

Ranked #1,482

Modern count

4,996

2016, ranked #1,355

Peak year

1999

5,401 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Timms had 3,028 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,482 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,996 in 2016, ranked #1,355.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,776 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Timms surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Timms surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Timms 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 1,318 #2,175
1861 historical 1,258 #2,266
1881 historical 3,028 #1,482
1891 historical 2,977 #1,583
1901 historical 4,269 #1,322
1911 historical 4,776 #1,084
1997 modern 4,995 #1,311
1998 modern 5,386 #1,265
1999 modern 5,401 #1,271
2000 modern 5,367 #1,271
2001 modern 5,255 #1,265
2002 modern 5,318 #1,278
2003 modern 5,192 #1,274
2004 modern 5,185 #1,274
2005 modern 5,040 #1,301
2006 modern 5,030 #1,302
2007 modern 5,060 #1,304
2008 modern 5,066 #1,315
2009 modern 5,108 #1,331
2010 modern 5,177 #1,345
2011 modern 5,106 #1,343
2012 modern 4,969 #1,346
2013 modern 5,043 #1,349
2014 modern 5,074 #1,350
2015 modern 5,014 #1,351
2016 modern 4,996 #1,355

Geography

Back to top

Where Timms' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory and Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Oxfordshire, Cherwell, South Northamptonshire, Warwick and Rugby. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
4 Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken Warwickshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Oxfordshire 008 West Oxfordshire
2 Cherwell 005 Cherwell
3 South Northamptonshire 006 South Northamptonshire
4 Warwick 007 Warwick
5 Rugby 007 Rugby

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Timms

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Timms

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Timms, 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 Timms surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Timms 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Timms is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Timms is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Timms falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Timms 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 Timms, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Timms

The surname Timms is of English origin and is believed to have derived from the medieval given name Timm, a diminutive of the more common name Timothy. This name can be traced back to the Greek name Timotheos, meaning "honoring God" or "honoring the gods." The earliest recorded instances of the surname Timms date back to the late 13th century in various regions of England, particularly in counties like Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire.

One of the earliest known references to this surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire, a census-like record from 1273, which lists a person named Adam Timm. Another early record is the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, mentioning a John Tymme. These early spellings, such as Tymme and Timm, reflect the variations in spelling that were common before the standardization of English orthography.

The surname Timms is also closely associated with the village of Timms in Yorkshire, which was recorded as Timmes in the Domesday Book of 1086. It is likely that some individuals adopted the surname Timms as a locative name, indicating their origin from or association with this particular place.

Notable individuals with the surname Timms throughout history include:

1. Sir Ralph Timms (c. 1520 - 1592), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. 2. John Timms (1801 - 1875), a British architect and civil engineer known for his work on various railway projects. 3. Frederick Timms (1853 - 1917), an Australian politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. 4. William Timms (1828 - 1892), a British trade unionist and leader of the Builders' Union in London. 5. Edith Timms (1891 - 1968), an English author and writer of children's books, best known for her "Rosemary" series.

While the surname Timms may have originated from a specific region or place within England, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and has been adapted to different cultural contexts and linguistic influences.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Timms families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Timms 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. Warwickshire leads with 572 Timms' recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.69x.

County Total Index
Warwickshire 572 7.69x
Oxfordshire 467 25.65x
Middlesex 282 0.96x
Lancashire 158 0.45x
Northamptonshire 158 5.70x
Surrey 147 1.02x
Buckinghamshire 117 6.56x
Gloucestershire 111 1.92x
Leicestershire 101 3.09x
Staffordshire 101 1.02x
Yorkshire 92 0.31x
Berkshire 91 4.11x
Worcestershire 75 1.95x
Kent 63 0.63x
Nottinghamshire 62 1.56x
Bedfordshire 57 3.73x
Essex 53 0.91x
Derbyshire 48 1.04x
Hertfordshire 41 2.02x
Durham 38 0.43x
Northumberland 25 0.57x
Sussex 25 0.50x
Cambridgeshire 24 1.29x
Glamorgan 17 0.33x
Lincolnshire 17 0.36x
Hampshire 16 0.26x
Cheshire 15 0.23x
Dorset 9 0.47x
Herefordshire 7 0.58x
Lanarkshire 6 0.06x
Shropshire 6 0.24x
Devon 5 0.08x
Wiltshire 5 0.19x
Denbighshire 2 0.18x
Flintshire 2 0.25x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.08x
Midlothian 1 0.03x
Monmouthshire 1 0.05x
Norfolk 1 0.02x
Royal Navy 1 0.28x
Somerset 1 0.02x
Suffolk 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 62 Timms' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.03x.

Place Total Index
Aston 62 3.03x
Birmingham 53 2.14x
St Pancras London 51 2.15x
Brize Norton 36 464.52x
Salford 32 3.11x
Iver 31 134.96x
Nottingham St Mary 31 3.02x
Ashby De La Zouch 29 38.28x
Old Stratford 29 68.90x
Battersea 28 2.58x
Bloxham 28 156.86x
Warwick St Nicholas 28 51.36x
West Ham 28 2.18x
Chipping Norton 27 64.15x
Kings Norton 27 7.82x
Leamington Priors 26 14.21x
Alveston 24 245.90x
Leamington 24 48.72x
Handsworth 23 9.38x
Shipton Under Wychwood 23 196.25x
Oxford St Ebbe 22 41.06x
Barrow In Furness 21 4.41x
Lambeth 21 0.82x
Stanford In Vale 21 238.91x
Warwick St Mary 21 32.54x
Balsall 20 172.27x
Bicester Market End 20 59.83x
Northampton Priory St 20 12.02x
St George In East 20 9.97x
Asthall 19 502.65x
Coventry Holy Trinity 19 8.56x
Liverpool 19 0.89x
Whittlesey St Mary St 19 29.13x
Leeds 18 1.09x
Northampton St Sepulchre 18 12.76x
Cowley 17 29.92x
Hanwell 17 666.67x
Mile End Old Town 17 3.65x
Milton Under Wychwood 17 201.42x
Coventry St Michael 16 6.70x
Clerkenwell London 15 2.16x
Grandborough 15 346.42x
Kenilworth 15 35.79x
Leighton Buzzard 15 22.85x
Oxford St Thomas 15 17.66x
Stoke Newington London 15 6.53x
Bishops Itchington 14 195.53x
Elswick 14 4.00x
Newington 14 1.29x
Stoke Poges 14 64.40x
Blackfordby 13 124.64x
Bladon 13 210.02x
Foleshill 13 16.62x
Kensington London 13 0.79x
Oxford St Giles 13 14.97x
Shoreditch London 13 1.02x
Aberdare 12 3.41x
Broadwell 12 303.03x
Croydon 12 1.51x
Habergham Eaves 12 3.75x
Hackney London 12 0.73x
Hemel Hempstead 12 13.11x
Kilsby 12 198.68x
Lighthorne 12 331.49x
Northampton All Sts 12 12.75x
Oxford St Clement 12 26.12x
Stapenhill 12 17.47x
Willesden 12 4.32x
Woking 12 13.86x
Wootton 12 145.63x
Wootton Wawen 12 51.24x
Abthorpe 11 237.07x
Bucknell 11 411.99x
Charlbury 11 53.84x
Great Faringdon 11 34.59x
Kingston On Thames 11 3.19x
Launton 11 183.03x
Rickmansworth 11 19.66x
Sheffield 11 1.18x
Tilsworth 11 436.51x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 181
Elizabeth 134
Sarah 101
Ann 59
Emma 55
Eliza 49
Ellen 49
Hannah 48
Annie 46
Alice 44
Jane 44
Emily 43
Fanny 26
Martha 24
Edith 23
Ada 21
Harriet 21
Charlotte 20
Caroline 19
Louisa 19
Harriett 18
Catherine 15
Clara 14
Kate 14
Florence 13
Lucy 13
Susan 13
Agnes 12
Amelia 12
Anne 12
Esther 12
Margaret 12
Maria 12
Rosa 11
Amy 9
Rose 9
Ruth 9
Frances 8
Isabella 8
Rebecca 8
Bertha 7
Julia 7
Matilda 7
Selina 7
Ethel 6
Susannah 6
Betsy 5
Elizth. 5
Eva 5
Lilly 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 222
John 157
George 119
Thomas 90
James 89
Charles 77
Henry 69
Joseph 65
Edward 47
Arthur 41
Frederick 40
Albert 32
Alfred 30
Samuel 26
Walter 25
Harry 22
Richard 22
Edwin 18
Robert 15
Frank 13
Wm. 12
Ernest 11
Fred 11
Benjamin 10
Thos. 10
Francis 9
Herbert 9
Stephen 7
Tom 7
Daniel 6
Fredk. 5
Leonard 5
Percy 5
Frederic 4
Fredrick 4
Isaac 4
Jesse 4
Mathew 4
Edmund 3
Geo. 3
Josiah 3
Luke 3
Martin 3
Oliver 3
Willm. 3
David 2
Ebenezer 2
Edgar 2
Ralph 2
Reuben 2

FAQ

Timms surname: questions and answers

How common was the Timms surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,028 people were recorded with the Timms surname. That placed it at #1,482 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Timms surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,996 in 2016. That gives Timms a modern rank of #1,355.

What does the Timms surname mean?

An English surname derived from the given name Timothy, meaning "honoring God" or "fearing God" in Greek.

What does the Timms map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Timms 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.