Looking for info on immigration of family named Knierim?

Question

my dad's side. don't know if we're german, dutch or what

Answer 1

Most people w/ the surname KNIERIM immigrating to NY were from Germnay or surrounding areas.  The Netherlands is not listed.

KNIERIM

German: metonymic occupational name for a leather worker or cobbler, from Middle High German knierieme ‘(leather) knee strap’.

Source: ancestry.com

The word "metonymic" above is defined as - NOUN: A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated, as in the use of Washington for the United States government or of the sword for military power.

Answer 2

www.ancestry.com:

Knierim Name Meaning and History

German: metonymic occupational name for a leather worker or cobbler, from Middle High German "knierieme" ‘(leather) knee strap’.

www.familysearch.org--alternate spellings include: KNEARIM ;

NEROM ; CNYRIM; KNYRIM ;  and NEREIM. Most of the listings looked to be from Germany.

Early listings include:

Christoffel Knierim--Birth:   abt 1607 ; Alsfeld, Grand Duchy of Darmstadt-Hesse (Germany)  

His son was Cyraicus Knierim (1633 -  20 Dec 1683), Alsfeld, Grand Duchy...  (I thought it was an odd first name.)

Answer 3

Here's a great site for you to link up with distant relatives who have already researched your family. Only a handful of people with your name came to the US, so the odds are high that these researchers can help you. These folks have traced the family back several generations in Germany.

http://genforum.genealogy.com/knierim/