Type Surname (from location)
Meaning & History
Derived from German Himmel "heaven, sky". This was a topographic name for someone living at a high altitude. This was the surname of Heinrich Himmler (born October 7, 1900 - died May 23, 1945) who was Reichsführer of the Schutzstaffel (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) of Nazi Germany. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler briefly appointed him a military commander and later Commander of the Replacement (home) Army and General Plenipotentiary for the administration of the entire Third Reich ((Generalbevollmächtigter für die Verwaltung). Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and one of the people most directly responsible for the Holocaust.