Zimmer is German surname meaning "room" or "chamber". Derivative names include

Zimmermann Zimmermann is a German occupational surname 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 wi ...

( Zimmerman), the occupational surname meaning

Carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...

, literally translated "room man" (i.e. someone who builds wooden structures to be lived in).

List of people with this surname

Sciences

* Andreas Zimmer, German neurobiologist *

Carl Zimmer Carl Zimmer (born 1966) is a popular science writer, blogger, columnist, and journalist who specializes in the topics of evolution, parasites, and heredity. The author of many books, he contributes science essays to publications such as ''The Ne ...

, popular science writer specializing in evolution * Carl Wilhelm Erich Zimmer, German zoologist *

John Todd Zimmer John Todd Zimmer (February 28, 1889 in Bridgeport, Ohio – January 6, 1957 in White Plains, New York) was a leading American ornithologist. A graduate of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he took an early interest in both entomology and ornithology. ...

(1889-1957), American ornithologist *

Karl Zimmer Karl Günter Zimmer (12 July 1911 – 29 February 1988) was a German physicist and radiation biologist, known for his work on the effects of ionizing radiation on DNA. In 1935, he published the major work, ''Über die Natur der Genmutation un ...

, German physicist and radiation biologist *

Louis Zimmer Louis Zimmer (8 September 1888 – 12 December 1970) was an astronomer and clockmaker to the King of Belgium. Most notably in 1930 he built the Jubilee (or Centenary) Clock, which is displayed on the front of the Zimmer tower. The Zimmer tower ( ...

, Belgian clockmaker and astronomer

Sports

Adam Zimmer Adam Zimmer (January 13, 1984 – October 31, 2022) was an American professional football coach in the National Football League (NFL). He was an assistant defensive backs coach and offensive analyst for the Cincinnati Bengals, assistant line ...

(1984–2022), American football coach * Andy Zimmer, American basketball player *

Bradley Zimmer Bradley Clarke Zimmer (born November 27, 1992) is an American professional baseball center fielder in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He attended the University of San Francisco, and played college baseball for the San Francisco Dons base ...

, American baseball player *

Chief Zimmer Charles Louis "Chief" Zimmer (November 23, 1860 – August 22, 1949) was an American professional baseball player whose playing career spanned from 1884 to 1906. He played for 19 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB), including 13 s ...

(Charles Louis Zimmer, 1860–1949), catcher in Major League Baseball * Cyril Zimmer, Australian rules footballer *

Don Zimmer Donald William Zimmer (January 17, 1931 – June 4, 2014) was an American infielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). Zimmer was involved in professional baseball from 1949 until his death, a span of 65 years, across 8 d ...

, Major League Baseball manager and coach *

Kyle Zimmer Kyle Joseph Zimmer (born September 13, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 2019 to 2021. The Royals selected Zimmer in the first rou ...

, American baseball player *

Mike Zimmer Michael Zimmer (born June 5, 1956) is an American football coach for the Colorado Buffaloes football, Colorado Buffaloes. Prior to this, Zimmer was with Jackson State Tigers football, Jackson State, both college programs being led by Deion Sande ...

, head coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL *

Sabine Zimmer Sabine Krantz (née Zimmer; born 6 February 1981) is a German race walker. She was born in Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Bran ...

, German race walker *

Tom Zimmer Thomas Jeffrey Zimmer (born June 30, 1952, in Mobile, Alabama) has held multiple roles in professional baseball. He played in the minor leagues non-consecutively from 1971 to 1979, coached for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1976, managed in the minor ...

, (born 1952), American baseball player, coach and manager

Politics

Dawn Zimmer Dawn Zimmer (born April 16, 1968) is an American politician who served as the 38th mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey. As president of the Hoboken City Council, she became acting mayor after incumbent Peter Cammarano's resignation on July 31, 2009 fol ...

, mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey *

Dick Zimmer Richard Alan Zimmer (born August 16, 1944) is an American Republican Party politician from New Jersey, who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and in the United States House of Representatives. He was the Republican nominee for ...

, American politician *

Gabi Zimmer Gabriele "Gabi" Zimmer (born 7 May 1955) is a German politician who served as leader of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) from 2000 to 2003. After leaving office as leader, she was a member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2019. Zi ...

, German politician * J. Eugene Zimmer (1912–1995), New York assemblyman *

Matthias Zimmer Matthias Zimmer (born 3 May 1961) is a German author and politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who has been serving as a member of the Bundestag from the state of Hesse from 2009, winning a constituency in Frankfurt am Main for thre ...

(born 1961), German politician *

Rod Zimmer Rod A. A. Zimmer (December 19, 1942 – June 7, 2016)

(1942–2016), Canadian senator

Acting

Constance Zimmer Constance Zimmer (born October 11, 1970) is an American actress. She rose to prominence for playing Dana Gordon in the television series ''Entourage'' (2005–2011) and Claire Simms in the television series ''Boston Legal'' (2006–2007). She ...

, American actress *

Kim Zimmer Kimberly Jo Zimmer (born February 2, 1955) is an American actress, best known for her role as Reva Shayne on the CBS soap opera ''Guiding Light''. For this portrayal, she has won four Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama ...

, American actress *

Laurie Zimmer Laurie may refer to: Places * Laurie, Cantal, France, a commune * Laurie, Missouri, United States, a village * Laurie Island, Antarctica Music * Laurie Records, a record label * ''Laurie'' (EP), a 1992 album by Daniel Johnston * "Laurie (Stran ...

, former American actress

Music

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, Oscars and four Grammy Awards, Grammys, and has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmys and a Tony Awar ...

, German composer, best known for film scores *

Heinrich Zimmer (Celticist) Heinrich Friedrich Zimmer (11 December 1851 – 29 July 1910) was a German Celticist and Indologist. Born to a farming family in Kastellaun in the Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany, he studied ancient languages at Kaiser Wilhelm University ...

(1851–1910), German celticist *

Joana Zimmer Joana Zimmer (born ; Freiburg im Breisgau, West Germany) is a German pop music singer, often compared to Celine Dion or Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career th ...

, German pop music singer *

Norma Zimmer Norma Zimmer (July 13, 1923 – May 10, 2011) was an American vocalist, best remembered for her 22-year tenure as Lawrence Welk's "Champagne Lady" on ''The Lawrence Welk Show''. Early years Born Norma Larsen on a dairy farm in Shoshone County, Id ...

, American vocalist

Other

* Art Zimmer, automobile executive, re-founder of

Zimmer (automobile) Zimmer automobiles were originally manufactured by the Zimmer Motor Cars Corporation, which was incorporated in the State of Ohio in July of 1980. In August of 1980, it was registered as a Foreign For Profit Corporation in the State of Florida un ...

Ben Zimmer Benjamin Zimmer (born 1971) is an American linguist, lexicographer, and language commentator. He is a language columnist for ''The Wall Street Journal'' and contributing editor for ''The Atlantic''. He was formerly a language columnist for ''The ...

, American linguist and lexicographer *

Emma Zimmer Emma Anna Maria Zimmer (née Mezel; 14 August 1888 – 20 September 1948) was a female overseer at the Lichtenburg concentration camp, the Ravensbrück concentration camp and the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination/concentration camp for several ye ...

, overseer at the Ravensbrück concentration camp executed for war crimes *

George Zimmer George Zimmer (born November 21, 1948) is an American businessman. He is the founder, former executive chairman (1973–2013) and former CEO (1973–2011) of the Men's Wearhouse, a clothing retailer with more than 1,200 stores in the US and Canad ...

, founder and CEO of the Men's Wearhouse *

Hans-Peter Zimmer Hans-Peter Zimmer (23 October 1936 - 5 September 1992) was a German painter and sculptor. He was born in Berlin and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. He formed Gruppe SPUR in 1957 with the painters Heimrad Prem, Helmut Sturm and the s ...

, German painter and sculptor *

Heinrich Zimmer Heinrich Robert Zimmer (6 December 1890 – 20 March 1943) was a German Indologist and linguist, as well as a historian of South Asian art, most known for his works, ''Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization'' and ''Philosophies of India ...

(1890–1943), German indologist *

John Zimmer John Zimmer is the co-founder and president of Lyft, an on-demand transportation company, which he founded with Logan Green in 2012. Early life Zimmer grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut. In 2006, Zimmer graduated at Cornell University School o ...

, co-founder of rideshare program Zimride *

Marion Zimmer Bradley Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley (June 3, 1930 – September 25, 1999) was an American author of fantasy, historical fantasy, science fiction, and science fantasy novels, and is best known for the Arthurian fiction novel ''The Mists of Avalon'' an ...

, American author of fantasy novels * Michael Zimmer, a privacy and social media scholar * Nathan Löb David Zimmer, English Kabbalist *

Patrick Benedict Zimmer Patrick Benedict Zimmer (born at Abtsgmund, Württemberg, 22 February 1752; died at Stenheim near Dillingen, 16 October., 1820) was a Catholic philosopher and theologian. Life Zimmer studied the Humanities and philosophy at Ellwangen, theology a ...

, Catholic philosopher and theologian * Richard Zimmer (general) (1893–1971), German military officer *

Robert Zimmer Robert Jeffrey Zimmer (born November 5, 1947) is an American mathematician and academic administrator. From 2006 until 2021, he served as the 13th president of the University of Chicago and as the Chair of the Board for Argonne National Lab, Ferm ...

(1947–2023), former provost of Brown University, mathematician, and former president of the University of Chicago *

Robert Zimmer (philosopher) Robert Zimmer (born 25 October 1953 in Trier, West Germany) is a German philosopher and essayist who writes biographies and popular introductions to philosophy and to the history of philosophy. Life Robert Zimmer was educated at the German u ...

, German philosopher and essayist

Multiple people

* Paul Zimmer (disambiguation), several people * David Zimmer (disambiguation), several people

Fictional characters

Anthony Zimmer ''Anthony Zimmer'' is a 2005 French romantic thriller film written and directed by Jérôme Salle and starring Sophie Marceau, Yvan Attal, and Sami Frey. Set mainly in southern France, the film is about a highly intelligent criminal—pursued by i ...

, fictional character * David Zimmer, main character in ''

The Book of Illusions ''The Book of Illusions'' is a novel by American writer Paul Auster, published in 2002. It was nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award in 2004. Plot introduction Set in the late 1980s, the story is written from the perspective of ...

'' * Leila Kwan Zimmer, a character in the Netflix series ''

Grand Army Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...

'' * Doctor Zimmer, a fictional character from the 2008 console game ''

Fallout 3 ''Fallout 3'' is a 2008 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The third major installment in the ''Fallout'' series, it is the first game to be developed by Bethesda after acquiring ...