Surname Himmler - Meaning and Origin

Himmler: What does the surname Himmler mean?

The last name Himmler is derived from the Middle High German word "himmel", which means "heaven". It is a German surname, and a close variant of the earlier patronymic surname Himmlisch. The first known bearer of the name was Himmelin von Thiene, who was recorded in 1240. The name could refer to someone who was believed to have descended from heaven, or who were thought to be associated with heavenly forces.

The most famous bearer of the last name Himmler was Heinrich Himmler (1900-1945). Born in Munich, Bavaria, he was the leader of the Nazi paramilitary organization "Schutzstaffel", commonly known as the SS. Under Himmler, the SS was responsible for numerous atrocities, including the organization of mass deportation and the Holocaust. It was Himmler's orders which were used to carry out the systematic murder of millions of Jews during the Holocaust.

The legacy of the last name Himmler is unfortunately tied to Heinrich Himmler’s dark and horrible actions during World War II. Though many people carry the last name, it is often associated with the heinous crimes of Nazi Germany. In modern times, the name Himmler is largely seen as a reminder of the Nazi atrocities that took place during World War II, and is rarely used as a first name.

Himmler: Where does the name Himmler come from?

The last name Himmler is most common in Germany and surrounding countries such as Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic. However, it is also found elsewhere in the world in places such as the United States, Argentina and Canada. The surname originated in Germany and is most closely associated with Heinrich Himmler, the former head of the Nazi SS organization.

The surname is still fairly common in Germany, however it has begun to decrease in the last few decades. In 2017, the surnames Himmler and its variants such as Himler or Humbler were listed among the top 4,000 most common last names in Germany. In any cases, the name is sometimes lightly nudged away from an individual's full name to help give the surname less notoriety and to move away from being associated with the Nazi regime.

The variant of the surname Himmler is quite rare outside of Germany and other German-speaking countries, likely due to the negative associations of the surname with the Nazi regime. In the United States, only about 2,000 people with the last name Himmler are recorded as residing in 2000.

The tribute site to victims of the Holocaust named the Yahad-in-Unum Database has recorded various Jewish families that were able to flee Europe in time and later adopted new surnames to stay safe and to escape the terror associated with Hitler and the Nazi regime. Those with the last name Himmler are survived by only a few of those escaped individuals.

Variations of the surname Himmler

The surname Himmler is derived from the German word "Hintamer," meaning "dweller on the flat land." Variants of the surname Himmler include Himler, Heimler, Himmlersberger, Himmlersson, Himmlersman, Himmlertzenz, Himmelberger, Himmeler, Himnes and Himmele. Spellings of the surname Himmler include Himler, Heimler, Hamler, Hammler, Hämler, Hemmlor, Himmlor and Hummelar.

Surnames of the same origin include Himmelreich, Himmelsbach, Himmerich, Himmlisch, Himmlitz, Himmlerhud and Heimmelar. Himmler is most often found in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands and the United States, and less often in Belgium, Alsace and Poland.

Variants of the surname can often be confused with other German surnames such as Hammer, Hamel, Hammel, Hömml and Hemmel. In some cases, variations of the surname Himmler have been changed to Homler or Hirnler. As well, because some spelling variants of "Himmler" have dropped the double M in the surname, it can be confused with the surname Himler.

Himmler is one of the oldest and most widely distributed Germanic surnames. The origin of the surname Himmler can be traced back to Bavaria in the Middle Ages where it flourished and spread across Europe and to the United States. Its meaning is derived from the German word hintamor, which translates to "habitats of a flat land." In recent years, the Himmler surname has become increasingly popular in Germany due to its association with infamous Nazi SS leader Heinrich Himmler.

Famous people with the name Himmler

• Heinrich Himmler: He was a German Nazi official and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany. He was the leader of the SS (Schutzstaffel), the Nazi paramilitary organization, from 1929 to 1945. He was responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Holocaust of Jews and other minorities.
• Gebhard Himmler: Gebhard was the brother of Heinrich Himmler and a German Wehrmacht officer. He played a significant role in the German re-armament programme from the early 1930s onward.
• Katrin Himmler: Katrin is the grandniece of Heinrich Himmler. She is an author and historian who works at the Berlin Wall Memorial Center.
• Margarete Himmler: Margarete was the wife of Heinrich Himmler. They had three children together.
• Gudrun Burwitz-Himmler: Gudrun is the daughter of Heinrich and Margarete Himmler. She is a public relations advisor and is the grandaunt of Katrin Himmler.
• Heinz Himmler: Heinz was the brother of Heinrich Himmler. He was a German politician who served as the Governor of Schleswig-Holstein from 1936 to 1945.
• Gertrud Himmler: Gertrud was the sister of Heinrich Himmler. She was an artist whoauthored watercolors and postcards featuring Nazi themes.
• Magnus Himmler: Magnus is a German businessman and philanthropist. He is the great nephew of Heinrich Himmler and the great, great nephew of Katrin Himmler.
• Prof. Dr. Helmut Himmler: Helmut was a German chemist and academic. He was a professor of chemistry at the University of Tübingen and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Other surnames

Himml