Family name origins & meanings
- German and Dutch : nickname for a man with gray or white hair, from Middle High German, Middle Dutch schimel, a term used to denote both mildew and a white horse. Old High German forms are not found, and the semantic development is not entirely clear.
- Jewish (Ashkenazic) : from German Schimmel ‘mildew’, imposed by a non-Jewish government official.
- Jewish (Ashkenazic) : from a pet form of the personal name Shimon (see Simon).