Kimberly (given name)
 | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɪmbərli/ /kɪmˈbɛərli/ |
|---|---|
| Gender | Unisex |
| Language(s) | English |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Old English |
| Word/name | Combination of Kimber and leigh |
| Meaning | "From the meadow of the royal fortress". |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Kimberlee, Kimberleigh, Kimberley (also an Australian form of Kimball)[1] |
| Short form(s) | Kim, Kimmie, Kimmi, or Kimmy |
| See also | Kimberley (surname) |
Kimberly (also Kimberley[1] or Kimberlee) is a predominantly unisex given name of Old English origin. John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley, a place in Norfolk, England, popularised the name by giving it to a town in South Africa and a region in Australia. The first element, Kimber, reflects various Old English personal names; in the case of the Earldom in Norfolk this first appeared as Chineburlai in 1086 and seems to mean "clearing of a woman called Cyneburg (Cyneburga in Latin)". The second element is the Old English leah or leigh "meadow, clearing in a woodland".[2]
Origin of the given name
[edit]The given name Kimberley is derived from place of Kimberley, in Northern Cape, South Africa. This South African place name was named after Lord Kimberley in the 19th century.[1] At the end of the 19th century, this place was the scene of fighting and a British victory during the Second Boer War, and consequently the given name was popularised in the English-speaking world.
The name of Lord Kimberley's title is derived from Kimberley, in Norfolk, England. This place name is derived from two Old English elements: the first is the feminine personal name Cyneburg, which means "royal fortress";[citation needed] the second element is lēah, which means "woodland" or "clearing".[1][3] The place name roughly means: the "woodland clearing of the royal fortress." This place name was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Chineburlai.[3]
Variants
[edit]Kimberly is a given name with many variants. Kimberley is used for males and females, while Kimberlee, Kimberleigh, and Kimberli are common feminine variant forms.[1]
The common Korean surname Kim is not related to Kimberley.
Notable people
[edit]Women
[edit]- Kimberly Anyadike (born 1994), Nigerian-American aviator
- Kimberly Birrell (born 1998), Australian tennis player
- Kimberly Brooks (born 1968), American voice actress
- Kimberly Brooks (artist), American artist and author
- Kimberley Chen (born 1994), Australian-born, Taiwanese singer of Malaysian descent
- Kim Chiu (born 1990 as Kimberly Sue Yap Chiu), Filipino actress, host, model and singer
- Kimberley Cooper (born 1980), Australian actress
- Kimberley Davies (born 1973), Australian actress
- Kimberly Davis (born 1974), American professional wrestler known by her ring name Amber O'Neal
- Kim Deal (born 1961), American musician
- Kimberly Dos Ramos (born 1992), Venezuelan actress and model
- Kimberly Elise (born 1967), American actress
- Kimberly Andrews Espy, American academic administrator and neuropsychologist
- Kimberly Goss (born 1978), American singer of Korean descent
- Kim Guadagno (born 1959), New Jersey politician
- Kimberly Guilfoyle (born 1969), American news reporter
- Kimberly Hampton (1976-2004), United States Army officer
- Kimberly Hart-Simpson (born 1987), Welsh actress and businesswoman
- Kimberly Hill (born 1989), American former professional volleyball player
- Kimberly Jones, American author
- Kimberley Joseph, (born 1973), Canadian Australian actress
- Kimberly "Kim" Kardashian (born 1980), American entertainer
- Kimberly Keeton, American computer scientist
- Kim Matula (born 1988), American actress
- Kimberly Poore Moser (born 1962), American politician from Kentucky
- Kimberly New, American politician from Georgia
- Kimberley Nixon (born 1986)[citation needed], Welsh actress
- Kimberly A. Novick, American environmental scientist
- Kymberly Pine (born 1970), State of Hawaii House of Representatives
- Kimberly Pomerleau, American politician
- Kimberly Powers, American epidemiologist
- Kimberly “Kim” Rhode (born 1979), American double trap and skeet shooter
- Kim Shattuck (1963-2019), American musician
- Kimberly Stevenson, American businesswoman
- Kim Taylor (born 1978), American politician from Virginia
- Kimberly Tuck (born 1974), Canadian curler
- Kimberley Walsh (born 1981), English singer in the girl band Girls Aloud
- Kimberly Williams-Paisley (born 1971), American actress
- Kimberley Anne Woltemas (born 1992), Thai actress and model
- Kimberly Wyatt (born 1982), member of The Pussycat Dolls
- Kim Zolciak-Biermann (born 1978), American singer and reality star from The Real Housewives of Atlanta
- Kitty Brucknell (born Kimberley Dayle Edwards, 1984), English singer-songwriter
- Kym Marsh (born 1976), English actress
- Lil' Kim (born Kimberley Denise Jones, 1974), singer
Men
[edit]- Kimberly Belton (born 1958), American basketball player
- Kimberly Benston (born 1953), American historian
- Kimberly B. Cheney (born 1935), American lawyer
- Kimberley Chance (1946–2017), Australian farmer and politician
- Kimberly Ezekwem (born 2001), German footballer
- Kimberley Goodburn (born 1999), Thai actor and model
- Kimberley Hughes (born 1954), Australian cricketer
- Kimberley Moyes (born 1976), Australian musician
- Kimberley Rew (born 1951), British guitarist and singer in Katrina and the Waves
- Kimberly G. Smith (1948–2018), American biologist
- Kimberley Williams (born 1952), Australian media executive
- Kimberley Wells (born 1958), Australian politician
- Kimberly John Young (born 1951), Canadian politician
Fictional characters
[edit]- Kim Possible, a character in the television series of the same name
- Kimberly Andrews on the television series One Life to Live
- Kimberly "Kim" Bauer, a character in the television series 24
- Kimberly Brady, a character on the television series Days of Our Lives
- Kimberly "Kim" Burgess, a character in the television series Chicago P.D.
- Kimberly Corman, a character in the film Final Destination 2
- Kimberly Hart, a character in the Power Rangers franchise
- Kimberly "Kim" Hyde, a character in the television series Home and Away
- Kimberly "Kim" Pine, a character in the series of graphic stories Scott Pilgrim
- Kimberly Cougar "Kimmy" Schmidt, a character in the television series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
- Kimberly Shaw in the television series Melrose Place
- Kimberly Swan (commonly referred to as Ki Swan), a character in the web television series Video Game High School
- Kimberly "Kim" Wexler, a character in the television series Better Call Saul
- Kimberly, a girl in the Nickelodeon animated series Catscratch
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 159, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
- ^ "Kimberley", Online Etymology Dictionary
- ^ a b Kimberley, Encyclopedia.com, retrieved 8 December 2010 which cited: Mills, A. D. (2003), A Dictionary of British Place-Names, Oxford University Press
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