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| Pronunciation | /ˈkɪmbərli/ /kɪmˈbɛərli/ |
|---|---|
| Gender | Unisex |
| Language(s) | English |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Old English |
| Word/name | Combination of Kimber and leigh |
| Meaning | "From the meadow of the royal fortress". |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Kimberlee, Kimberleigh, Kimberley (also an Australian form of Kimball)[1] |
| Short form(s) | Kim, Kimmie, Kimmi, or Kimmy |
| See also | Kimberley (surname) |
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]
- ^ a b 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