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Help[Surname] Simmers surname
I noticed that this surname was recently added to the Scot-Irish section, to which I have to quibble. While thedennis does make mention of it being Scot-Irish and German, there's no link to the German page, which I believe to be the more important of the two origins.
Speaking as one who has done family tree research (this was my mother's maiden name) on the surname, it primarially seems to be a very regional name originally to Pennsylvania and it branched out from there, originally starting with the German community as the first bearers of the name in my family tree have the following names:
Johannes Simmers
Wilhelm Simmmers
Joh. Georg Simmers
Elisabetha Simmers
Children of:
Jakob & Margaretha
Most likely it's a bastardized version of the far more common German surname: Zimmers.
However there is a possibility that it's somehow related to the English surname of Simmons or Simms, in which it might be a derivative of the given name Simon; akin to how Zimmers and Zimmerman are related to one another in German, but that's pure speculation of how it might have a non-Germanic origin. So far in my family tree research it's only turned up to be a name that starts in Pennsylvania (there seems to be two branches--one that started and stayed in the Chester County region (my branch) until the 20th Century, and another which started in Western PA and moved west into Ohio).
Anyone else have any thoughts?
Speaking as one who has done family tree research (this was my mother's maiden name) on the surname, it primarially seems to be a very regional name originally to Pennsylvania and it branched out from there, originally starting with the German community as the first bearers of the name in my family tree have the following names:
Johannes Simmers
Wilhelm Simmmers
Joh. Georg Simmers
Elisabetha Simmers
Children of:
Jakob & Margaretha
Most likely it's a bastardized version of the far more common German surname: Zimmers.
However there is a possibility that it's somehow related to the English surname of Simmons or Simms, in which it might be a derivative of the given name Simon; akin to how Zimmers and Zimmerman are related to one another in German, but that's pure speculation of how it might have a non-Germanic origin. So far in my family tree research it's only turned up to be a name that starts in Pennsylvania (there seems to be two branches--one that started and stayed in the Chester County region (my branch) until the 20th Century, and another which started in Western PA and moved west into Ohio).
Anyone else have any thoughts?
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Replies
Since this question became active again:
There is a straightforward Low German/East Frisian etymology of Simmers as a patronym to the given name Simmer which is a simplified form of Sigmar.
And for the Palatinate region of Germany: There is a city named Simmern located in the Hunsrück mountains, but I think a regular place name derived surname would look like Simmerer or Simmerner or simply Simmern instead of Simmers.
There is a straightforward Low German/East Frisian etymology of Simmers as a patronym to the given name Simmer which is a simplified form of Sigmar.
And for the Palatinate region of Germany: There is a city named Simmern located in the Hunsrück mountains, but I think a regular place name derived surname would look like Simmerer or Simmerner or simply Simmern instead of Simmers.
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My ancestor was Jeremiah simmers born in the lower palatinate region of Germany about 1730. Him and his wife imigrated in about 1755 1756. First setted in Pennsylvania later to Virginia where I live now.
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There is much confusion and speculation on the origins. One is that the origin was the sons of summer in Scotland and they were banished from Scotland when the English conquered them. They were dispersed all over Europe one place being Prussia. The name was change by common usage to Zimmer. I can trace to Anton Zimmer and the immigration to Pennsylvania then the name changed to Simmers. Unfortunately the trace back in history from Anton to the Scottish connect has not been found.
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Most Simmers in the US are definitely of German origin but there are also some from Scotland according to tinyurl.com/oglo2j7. The Scottish name is a variant of English Summer(s). The name is thought to come from Old French somier 'beast of burden', hence the nickname of a muleteer.
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