Show ContentsMims History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Mims family

The surname Mims was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), where the first record of the family was the singular Minna, listed here in the Assize Rolls of 1202. Over one hundred years later, Gostelynus Mynne was found in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327. 1

"This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Min.' There is some evidence in favour of an old personal name Min, which was probably a nick. Minnie is still used as a girl's pet name for Emmeline. " 2

Another researcher agrees: "This series seems to point to Minn, (the same as Mynn) as an ancient personal name." 3

Early History of the Mims family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mims research. Another 217 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1094, 1184, 1327, 1429, 1492, 1541, 1549, 1550, 1558, 1563, 1564, 1571, 1572, 1585, 1587, 1588, 1595, 1598, 1599, 1603, 1608, 1609, 1615, 1623, 1625, 1642, 1665, 1666, 1671, 1748, 1793 and 1817 are included under the topic Early Mims History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mims Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Minn, Minns, Mynn, Mynns, Myn, Min, Mynne, Menne, Minnes, Ming, Ming, Mink, Menn, Mence, Minne, Meny, Mynne, Meene, Mean and many more.

Early Notables of the Mims family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Christopher Myngs (1625-1666), English Admiral and pirate who came of a Norfolk family. It "is said by Pepys to have been of very humble origin, ‘his father being always, and at this day, a shoemaker, and his mother, a hoyman's daughter, of which he was used frequently to boast’ (Diary, 13 June 1666; cf. 26 Oct. 1665). This is certainly exaggerated, if not entirely false. His parents were of well-to-do families in the north of Norfolk. His father, John Myngs, though described in the register of Salthouse, where he was married on 28 Sept...
Another 315 words (22 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mims Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mims Ranking

In the United States, the name Mims is the 1,615th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 4


Mims migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mims Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Tho Mims, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 5
Mims Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Hendrick Mims, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1755 5
  • Samule Mims, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1787 5
Mims Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • T V Mims, aged 26, who landed in Key West, Fla in 1842 5
Mims Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Alfred Mims, aged 26, who immigrated to the United States from Liverpool England, in 1911
  • Reuben Mims, who immigrated to the United States, in 1920
  • Samuel Mims, aged 56, who landed in America, in 1922
  • Frederick B. Mims, aged 68, who settled in America from London, England, in 1922

Contemporary Notables of the name Mims (post 1700) +

  • David James Mims (b. 1970), former American football wide receiver
  • Dennis Mims (b. 1980), American professional basketball player
  • Anthony Mims (b. 1992), American football cornerback
  • Holley Mims (1929-1970), highly-regarded American middleweight boxer
  • Ernest Christopher Mims (b. 1932), American television broadcaster
  • Donna Mae Mims (1927-2009), American race car driver
  • Ralph Mims (b. 1985), American professional basketball player
  • Livingston Mims (1833-1906), American politician
  • D. Jeffrey Mims (b. 1954), American painter and muralist
  • John F. Mims (1815-1856), American politician, sixth mayor of Atlanta
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

USS Arizona
  • Mr. Robert Lang Mims, American Seaman First Class from Georgia, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 6


Suggested Readings for the name Mims +

  • Our Mother's People by Marie Doan Enderton.

  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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