From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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
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
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
Woman
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
Kimberly Browne , New Zealand architect
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
Kimberly B. Cheney (born 1935), American lawyer
Kim Hughes (born 1954), Australian cricketer
Kimberley Rew (born 1951), British guitarist and singer in
Katrina and the Waves
Kim Williams (media executive) (born 1952), Australian media executive
Kimberly Ezekwem (born 2001), German footballer
Kimberly G. Smith (born 1948-2018), American biologist
Kimberly John Young (born 1951), Canadian politician
Kimberly Benston (born 1953), American historian
Kim Belton (born 1958), American basketball player
Kim Moyes (born 1976), Australian musician
Fictional characters
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
References
^
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