Girl nameCurrently #246 in the USFalling
Kimberly
KIM-ber-lee//ˈkɪmbərli//
3 syllablesPeak year: 19708 lettersStarts with K
Meaning & origin
From the royal fortress meadow
Kimberly derives from an English place name, likely meaning the meadow or clearing belonging to someone named Cyneburg, and became widely known through the South African city of Kimberley. It was hugely popular across the mid-to-late 20th century and remains a familiar, dependable classic.
Kimberly's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Kimberly |
|---|---|
| 1933 | 7 |
| 1934 | 6 |
| 1935 | 7 |
| 1936 | 5 |
| 1937 | 6 |
| 1938 | 10 |
| 1939 | 11 |
| 1940 | 18 |
| 1941 | 24 |
| 1942 | 25 |
| 1943 | 18 |
| 1944 | 26 |
| 1945 | 26 |
| 1946 | 136 |
| 1947 | 266 |
| 1948 | 344 |
| 1949 | 399 |
| 1950 | 484 |
| 1951 | 581 |
| 1952 | 1,058 |
| 1953 | 1,552 |
| 1954 | 2,231 |
| 1955 | 4,039 |
| 1956 | 6,891 |
| 1957 | 9,609 |
| 1958 | 10,850 |
| 1959 | 12,901 |
| 1960 | 16,947 |
| 1961 | 17,467 |
| 1962 | 20,442 |
| 1963 | 21,314 |
| 1964 | 24,229 |
| 1965 | 28,958 |
| 1966 | 32,347 |
| 1967 | 33,212 |
| 1968 | 32,018 |
| 1969 | 33,192 |
| 1970 | 34,246 |
| 1971 | 30,808 |
| 1972 | 26,372 |
| 1973 | 23,627 |
| 1974 | 22,522 |
| 1975 | 20,340 |
| 1976 | 19,023 |
| 1977 | 18,366 |
| 1978 | 16,951 |
| 1979 | 17,701 |
| 1980 | 18,583 |
| 1981 | 16,744 |
| 1982 | 16,174 |
| 1983 | 15,436 |
| 1984 | 14,506 |
| 1985 | 14,967 |
| 1986 | 14,482 |
| 1987 | 13,086 |
| 1988 | 12,002 |
| 1989 | 11,100 |
| 1990 | 10,227 |
| 1991 | 9,829 |
| 1992 | 8,929 |
| 1993 | 7,992 |
| 1994 | 8,784 |
| 1995 | 7,764 |
| 1996 | 7,200 |
| 1997 | 6,190 |
| 1998 | 5,737 |
| 1999 | 5,470 |
| 2000 | 5,254 |
| 2001 | 4,891 |
| 2002 | 4,798 |
| 2003 | 4,841 |
| 2004 | 4,866 |
| 2005 | 4,760 |
| 2006 | 5,022 |
| 2007 | 5,118 |
| 2008 | 4,829 |
| 2009 | 4,228 |
| 2010 | 3,880 |
| 2011 | 3,812 |
| 2012 | 3,326 |
| 2013 | 3,109 |
| 2014 | 2,902 |
| 2015 | 2,849 |
| 2016 | 2,332 |
| 2017 | 1,840 |
| 2018 | 1,705 |
| 2019 | 1,542 |
| 2020 | 1,560 |
| 2021 | 1,356 |
| 2022 | 1,392 |
| 2023 | 1,336 |
| 2024 | 1,285 |
Kimberly through the decades
- Kimberly peaked in 1970, when 34,246 babies were named Kimberly in the US.
- The 1960s were Kimberly's strongest decade, averaging 26,013 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Kimberly has fallen 58% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Kimberly currently ranks #246 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Kim
Variants & spellings
Kimberley