Kimberly (given name)
| Kimberly | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Pronunciation |
/ˈkɪmbərli/ /kɪmˈbɛərli/ |
| Gender | Feminine or Masculine |
| Language(s) | English |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Word/name | Kimberley, in Northern Cape, South Africa |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Kimberlee, Kimberleigh, Kimberli, Kimberlie (all feminine); Kimberley (unisex)[1] |
| Short form(s) | Kim |
| See also | Kimberley (surname) |
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Look up Kimberly in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Kimberly is a unisex given name originated from a South African place. The name was derived from an English title, which was in turn derived from an English place name. A variant spelling of the name is Kimberley, borne by both males and females. The form Kimberly is more common in North America than Kimberley. The given name Kim was originally a short form of Kimberley, but it is now established as an independent name in its own right; this name is also borne by both males and females.[1]
Origin of the given name
The given name Kimberley is derived from place, Kimberley, in Northern Cape, South Africa. This South African place name was named after a 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; the second element is lēah, meaning "wood" or "clearing".[1][2] The place name roughly means: the "woodland clearing of Cyneburg". This place name was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Chineburlai.[2] The Old English personal name Cyneburg means "royal-fortress".
Variants
Kimberly is a given name with many variants. Kimberley is used for males and females, while Kimberlee, Kimberleigh, Kimberli and Kimberlie are common feminine variant forms.[1]
The variant Kym is also common with males.
The common Korean surname Kim is not related to Kimberly.
People with this name
- Kimberley Chen, Australian-born, Taiwanese singer of Malaysian descent.
- Kim Chiu, Filipino actress, singer
- Kimberly Davis, Rett syndrome advocate
- Kimberly Elise, American actress
- Kimberly Guilfoyle, American TV news reporter
- Kimberly Goss (born 1978), American singer of Korean descent
- Kimberley "Kim" Hughes, Australian cricketer
- Kimberly "Kim" Kardashian, American entertainer
- Kym Marsh, English actress
- Kim Matula, American actress
- Kimberley Nixon, Welsh actress
- Kim Novak, American actress
- Kim O'Brien, American actress active
- Kymberly Pine, State of Hawaii House of Representatives
- Kimberley Rew, English singer-songwriter
- Kimberley Walsh, English singer in the girl band Girls Aloud
- Kimberly Williams-Paisley, American actress
- Kimberly Wyatt, member of The Pussycat Dolls
Fictional characters
- Kimberly Bauer, a character in the television series 24
- Kimberly Corman, a character in the film Final Destination 2
- Kimberly Hart, a character in the Power Rangers franchise
- Kimberly Hyde, a character in the television series Home and Away
- Kimberly Peddle, a character in the film Cyberbully
- Kim Pine, a character in the television series Scott Pilgrim
- Kim Possible, a character in the television series of the same name
- Kimberly Power, a character in the film Cyberbully
- Kimberly Shaw in the television series Melrose Place
- Kimberly Wakeham, a character in the film Cyberbully
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 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
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kimberley, Encyclopedia.com, retrieved 8 December 2010 which cited: Mills, A. D. (2003), A Dictionary of British Place-Names, Oxford University Press