girl's name
Kimberley
KIM-bur-lee
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 9
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 55,723
Northern Ireland
#544
2016 births
Kimberley is named for a woman — the English place name behind it is Cyneburg's clearing, and Cyneburg was a seventh-century Mercian princess, so the name reaches modern use through her land rather than a man's.
- Kimberley is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1967, when 2,008 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 157,878 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1941.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Kimberley over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1940s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 197 |
| 1950s | 4,215 |
| 1960s | 16,344 |
| 1970s | 10,140 |
| 1980s | 3,788 |
| 1990s | 2,083 |
| 2000s | 906 |
| 2010s | 478 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 127 |
What Kimberley means
Kimberley means Cyneburg's clearing. It is an English place name built on a personal name joined to a word for a woodland clearing, so it records ownership of ground.
Where Kimberley comes from
Kimberley is an English place name — Cyneburg's leah, the clearing of Cyneburg, a woman's name meaning royal fortress. The route to a given name runs through South Africa: the diamond town of Kimberley was named for the Earl of Kimberley, and its siege during the Boer War put the word in front of a generation of British newspaper readers. The -ley spelling is the British one; American use overwhelmingly favors Kimberly.
Kimberley in use
Kimberley peaked in the United States in 1967, when 2,008 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 2253rd in England and Wales on 13 births, 2258th in France on 15 and 5868th in the United States on 21, across 55,723 lifetime births in three of the seven markets we track. England and Wales ran its own peak of 799 births in 1996 and France 615 in 1997, both a generation after the American one.
How popular is Kimberley?
In 2025, Kimberley was given to 21 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Kimberley is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Kimberley
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Kimberley also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Kimberley over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Kimberley
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Kimberley in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Kimberley
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Kimberley — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Kimberley
What does the name Kimberley mean?
Cyneburg's clearing — an English place name built on a woman's name.
Is it Kimberley or Kimberly?
The -ley spelling is British; American use overwhelmingly favors Kimberly.
How did it become a first name?
Through the South African diamond town and its siege during the Boer War.
What does Cyneburg mean?
Royal fortress — cyne, royal, joined to burh, a fortified place.
How popular is the name Kimberley?
In 2025, Kimberley was given to 21 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Kimberley a girl's or a boy's name?
Kimberley is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Kimberley?
Kimberley has 3 syllables.
When was Kimberley most popular?
Kimberley peaked in 1967, when 2,008 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Kimberley?
Kimberley is usually shortened to Kim.
Is Kimberley a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Kimberley currently ranks #2,253 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.