Kimberly
The story
Kimberly took the long way to the nursery. A village name from Norfolk became the title of John Wodehouse, Earl of Kimberley, and in 1873 a rowdy South African diamond camp called New Rush was renamed Kimberley in his honor, the earl having declined any connection with so vulgar a name as New Rush. That town gave the world the Big Hole, the De Beers company, and kimberlite, the diamond-bearing rock named for it. Then came the Boer War, and the siege of Kimberley, four months long and relieved in February 1900, carried the name across the English-speaking world. As a given name it belongs to the American mid-century: it settled on girls and climbed to second place in 1966 and 1967, just behind Lisa. From mining camp to classroom roster in one century flat.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Kimberly peaked in the 1970s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
11,660 people · the #1,530 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 17,544 · median age 13
Among people named Kimberly living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 1,585 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Kimberly
Most people given the name Kimberly in the United States were born between 1960 and 1989. The Kimberly you meet today is most often in her 40s or 50s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Kimberly deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Kimberly truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Kimberly fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Does Kimberly fit YOUR family?
nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.
Add Kimberly to your family’s tree →