Kimberly (also Kimberley or Kimberlee) is a unisex

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

of Old English origin.

John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley (7 January 18268 April 1902), known as the Lord Wodehouse from 1846 to 1866, was a British Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician. He held office in every Liberal administration from 1852 to 1895, notably ...

, a place in

Norfolk, England Norfolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and east, Cambridgeshire to the west, a ...

, 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"."Kimberley"
''Online Etymology Dictionary''

Origin of the given name

The given name ''Kimberley'' is derived from place of

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

, in

Northern Cape The Northern Cape ( ; ; ) is the largest and most sparsely populated Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley, South Africa, Kimberley. It includes ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. This South African place name was named after Lord Kimberley in the 19th century. At the end of the 19th century, this place was the scene of fighting and a British victory during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

, and consequently the given name was popularised in the English-speaking world. The name of Lord Kimberley's title is derived from

, in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. This place name is derived from two

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

elements: the first is the feminine

personal name A personal name, full name or prosoponym (from Ancient Greek ''prósōpon'' – person, and ''onoma'' –name) is the set of names by which an individual person or animal is known. When taken together as a word-group, they all relate to that on ...

''Cyneburg'', which means "royal fortress"; the second element is ''lēah'', which means "woodland" or "clearing". The place name roughly means: the "woodland clearing of the royal fortress." This place name was recorded in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086 as ''Chineburlai''. which cited:

Variants

Kimberly is a

with many variants. ''Kimberley'' is used for males and females, while ''Kimberlee'', ''Kimberleigh'', and ''Kimberli'' are common feminine variant forms. The common Korean surname Kim is not related to Kimberley.

Notable women

* Kimberly Anyadike (born 1994), Nigerian-American aviator *

Kimberly Birrell Kimberly Birrell (born 29 April 1998) is an Australian professional tennis player. Birrell reached a career-high WTA ranking of No. 68 on 17 March 2025 and a doubles ranking of No. 162 on 9 September 2024. Birrell is the current No. 1 Australi ...

(born 1998), Australian tennis player *

Kimberly Brooks Kimberly Brooks is an American voice actress. Brooks has voiced characters in video games since the mid-1990s. She has played the voice of Luna in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise as part of The Hex Girls, Ashley Williams in the ''Mass Effect'' s ...

(born 1968), American voice actress * Kimberly Brooks (artist), American artist and author *

Kimberley Chen Kimberley Chen Fang-yu (born 23 May 1994) is an Australian singer, actress and model based in Taiwan. In 2009, she landed her first hit with the love ballad "愛你" (Aini, "Love You"). In 2012, she became a professional singer in Taiwan, sin ...

(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 Kimberley Ann Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American musician. She was the original bassist and co-vocalist in the alternative rock band the Pixies (band), Pixies from 1986 to 1993 and again from 2004 to 2013. She is the frontwoman of the Bre ...

(born 1961), American musician *

Kimberly Dos Ramos Kimberly Dos Ramos de Sousa (born April 15, 1992) is a Venezuelan actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Matilda Román in Nickelodeon's '' Grachi''. She started her career in commercials and promotions for the Venezuelan television st ...

(born 1992), Venezuelan actress and model * Kym Douglas (born 1959), American television personality, actress, and blogger * Kitty Brucknell (born Kimberley Dayle Edwards, 1984), English singer-songwriter *

Kimberly Elise Kimberly Elise Trammel (born April 17, 1967) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in '' Set It Off'' (1996), and later received critical acclaim for her performance in '' Beloved'' (1998). During her career, Elise has appeared ...

(born 1967), American actress * Kimberly Andrews Espy, American academic administrator and neuropsychologist * Kymberly Evanson (born 1977), American lawyer *

Kimberly Goss Kimberly Goss (born 1978) is an American former singer and keyboardist, best known as the frontwoman and co-founder of the Finnish metal band Sinergy (1997–2004). Early life Goss was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Korean father an ...

(born 1978), American singer of Korean descent * Kym Mazelle (born Kymberly Grigsby; 1960), American singer *

Kim Guadagno Kimberly Ann Guadagno (; ''née'' McFadden; born April 13, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the first lieutenant governor and 33rd secretary of state of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Guadagno was the Republican nominee ...

(born 1959), New Jersey politician *

Kimberly Guilfoyle Kimberly Ann Guilfoyle ( ; born March 9, 1969) is an American television news personality and former prosecutor in San Francisco and Los Angeles. She served as an advisor and led the fundraising division of President Donald Trump's 2020 presid ...

(born 1969), American news reporter * Kimberly Hampton (1976-2004), United States Army officer * Kimberly Hart-Simpson (born 1987), Welsh actress and businesswoman * Kymberly Herrin (1957–2022), American model and actress * Kimberly Hill (born 1989), American former professional volleyball player * Kim Huffman or Kymberley Huffman, Canadian actress * Kimberly Jones, American author *

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after ...

(born Kimberley Denise Jones, 1974), American rapper *

Kimberley Joseph Kimberley Joseph (born August 30, 1973) is a Canadian Australian actress who is based in the United States. Joseph was born in Canada, brought up on the Gold Coast in Australia and educated in Switzerland. After returning to Australia, she beg ...

, (born 1973), Canadian Australian actress * Kimberly "Kim" Kardashian (born 1980), American entertainer * Kimberly Keeton, American computer scientist *

Kym Marsh Kimberley Gail Marsh (previously Ryder, Lomas and Ratcliff; born 13 June 1976) is an English actress, television presenter and singer. In 2001, she won a place in the band Hear'Say as a result of appearing on the reality television series ''Pop ...

(born 1976), English actress * 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), Welsh actress * Kimberly A. Novick, American environmental scientist *

Kymberly Paige __NOTOC__ The following is a list of Playboy Playmates of 1987. ''Playboy'' magazine names its Playmate of the Month each month throughout the year. January Luann Laureen Lee (born January 28, 1961) is an American model, singer and actress. Lu ...

(born 1966), American model and actress * Kymberly N. Pinder, American art historian, curator, and university administrator *

Kymberly Pine Kymberly Marcos Pine (born September 8, 1970) is an American politician and Democrat who served two terms on the Honolulu City Council representing District 1 from 2013 to 2021. She was the Chair of the Council Committee on Business, Economic D ...

(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 Kimberly Dianne Shattuck (July 17, 1963 – October 2, 2019) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. She was the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the American punk rock band the Muffs, which formed in 1991. From ...

(1963-2019), American musician * Kimberly Stevenson, American businesswoman * Kim Taylor (born 1978), American politician from Virginia * Kimberly Tuck (born 1974), Canadian curler *

Kimberley Walsh Kimberley Jane Scott ( Walsh; born 20 November 1981) is an English singer, dancer, television presenter and actress. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality series ''Popstars: The Rivals'' on ITV (TV network), ITV. Th ...

(born 1981), English singer in the girl band

Girls Aloud Girls Aloud are a British-Irish pop music, pop girl group that was created through the ITV (TV network), ITV talent show ''Popstars: The Rivals'' in 2002. The line up consisted of members Cheryl (singer), Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, N ...

* Kimberly Weinberger, American actress * 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 The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a neo-burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Iovine, Antin decided to take the troupe mainstrea ...

* Kim Zolciak-Biermann (born 1978), American singer and reality star from '' The Real Housewives of Atlanta''

Notable men

* 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 Katrina and the Waves were a British Rock music, rock band formed in Cambridge in 1981, widely known for their 1985 hit "Walking on Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves song), Walking on Sunshine". They won the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest with the ...

* 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

Kim Possible ''Kim Possible'' is an American animated Action comedy TV series, action comedy television series created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle for Disney Channel. The Kim Possible (character), title character is a teenage girl tasked with saving ...

, a character in the television series of the same name *

Kimberly Andrews This is a list of notable characters from the American Broadcasting Company, ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live'' that made their first appearance between 2000 and 2009. Kimberly Andrews Kimberly Andrews (born Aubrey Wentworth) is a fictional ...

on the television series ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...

'' * Kimberly "Kim" Bauer, a character in the television series '' 24'' *

Kimberly Brady Kimberly Brady is a fictional character on the television soap opera, ''Days of Our Lives''. Originated by Patsy Pease in July 1984, she is most recognizable for the role. Her initial run lasted until March 1990, but she returned twice from 199 ...

, a character on the television series ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...

'' * Kimberly "Kim" Burgess, a character in the television series Chicago P.D. * Kimberly Corman, a character in the film ''

Final Destination 2 ''Final Destination 2'' is a 2003 American supernatural horror film directed by David R. Ellis from a screenplay by J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress, based on a story by Gruber, Bress, and Jeffrey Reddick. It is the sequel to ''Final Destinati ...

'' * Kimberly Hart, a character in the ''

Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an American media franchise created by Haim Saban, Shuki Levy and Shotaro Ishinomori built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise ''Super Sentai''. It is currently ow ...

'' franchise * Kimberly "Kim" Hyde, a character in the television series ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip to Kangaroo Point, N ...

'' * Kimberly "Kim" Pine, a character in the series of graphic stories ''

Scott Pilgrim ''Scott Pilgrim'' is a series of graphic novels by Canadian author and comic book artist Bryan Lee O'Malley. The original edition of the series consists of six digest size black-and-white volumes, released between August 2004 and July 2010, by P ...

'' * Kimberly Cougar "Kimmy" Schmidt, a character in the television series '' Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'' * Kimberly Shaw in the television series ''

Melrose Place ''Melrose Place'' is an American prime-time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex in West Hollywood, ...

'' * Kimberly Swan (commonly referred to as Ki Swan), a character in the web television series ''

Video Game High School ''Video Game High School'' (often abbreviated ''VGHS'') is an American action comedy web series from RocketJump Studios. It was written by Matthew Arnold, Will Campos and Brian Firenzi and directed by Matthew Arnold, Brandon Laatsch, and Freddie ...

'' * Kimberly "Kim" Wexler, a character in the television series ''

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American legal crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–201 ...

'' * Kimberly, a girl in the Nickelodeon animated series ''

Catscratch ''Catscratch'' is an American animated television series created by Doug TenNapel for Nickelodeon. It aired from July 9, 2005, to February 10, 2007. It is a loose adaptation of TenNapel's comic book series, ''Gear'', which in the series is also ...

References