UK girl's name
Kimberly
Of English and Old English origin meaning "circle of meadow".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Kimberly is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Kimberly popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1036, with 33 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 117 births.
This profile covers 1,407 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 28% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 2,506 living people in the UK are called Kimberly. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Kimberly ranked #1036 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 33 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 117 girls were registered as Kimberly.
- • Kimberly ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #446 in 2021.
- • About 2,506 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kimberly as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1036
2024
Births in 2024
33
Latest year
Peak year
1996
117 births
Estimated living
2,506
2026
Meaning
What does Kimberly mean?
The name Kimberly has its origins in the Old English word "cymbrie," which means "from the meadow of Cymry," referring to the Cymry people of Wales. It is a feminine form of the masculine name Kimberly or Kimberley, which was derived from the Middle English words "kin" (meaning "royal" or "noble") and "burgh" (meaning "fort" or "town").
The earliest recorded use of the name Kimberly can be traced back to the late 19th century, when it began to gain popularity in English-speaking countries. It is believed that the name was first used as a given name for girls in England, where it was likely inspired by the town of Kimberley in South Africa, which was named after Lord Kimberley, a British politician.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Kimberly was Kimberly Conrad (1858-1944), an American writer and educator. Another notable figure was Kimberly Kumai (1897-1988), a Japanese-American artist and activist who was known for her work in promoting cultural understanding between the United States and Japan.
In the 20th century, the name Kimberly gained widespread popularity in the United States and other English-speaking countries. Some famous individuals with the name Kimberly include Kimberly Elise (born 1967), an American actress known for her roles in films such as Beloved and Diary of a Mad Black Woman, and Kimberly Peirce (born 1967), an American film director best known for her work on Boys Don't Cry.
Another notable figure with the name Kimberly is Kimberly Guilfoyle (born 1969), an American lawyer, prosecutor, and television news personality who has worked for various news organizations, including Fox News. Additionally, Kimberly Locke (born 1978) is an American singer and songwriter who gained recognition as a contestant on the second season of American Idol.
The name Kimberly has remained a popular choice for baby girls in many parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries. Its enduring appeal can be attributed to its melodic sound, its connection to the natural world (through its meaning of "meadow"), and its association with notable figures throughout history.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kimberly over time
The chart below shows babies named Kimberly registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Kimberly, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 33 births in 2024, compared with 117 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kimberly by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kimberly was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1492 | 108 | 5 |
| 2010s | #918 | 420 | 10 |
| 2000s | #593 | 554 | 10 |
| 1990s | #410 | 325 | 4 |
Geography
Where Kimberly is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kimberly. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Kimberly ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #446 in 2021.
Across the UK
Kimberly in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#625 in 2022
45 years of NRS records, 1,091 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#446 in 2021
9 years of NISRA records, 30 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Kimberly
-
Kimberly Dick
association football player
1992-
-
Kimberly Blythe
association football player
1992-
-
Kimberly Hart-Simpson
actor; entertainer
English actress
1987-
-
Kimberly Jaraj
actor; film actor
British actress
1984-
-
Kimberly McClenn
association football player
English footballer
Related
Names similar to Kimberly
- Katie 53,185
- Keira 14,411
- Katherine 11,323
- Kayleigh 10,677
- Kate 10,276
- Kelsey 7,224
- Kiera 7,218
- Kayla 6,541
- Kirsty 6,384
- Khadija 5,948
- Kimberley 5,189
- Kaitlyn 5,137
FAQ
Kimberly: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kimberly in the UK right now?
In 2024, Kimberly was ranked #1036 for girls in England and Wales, with 33 births registered.
When was Kimberly most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 117 babies registered as Kimberly in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kimberly?
Of English and Old English origin meaning "circle of meadow".
How many people are called Kimberly in the UK?
A total of 1,407 babies have been registered as Kimberly across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 1,091 more in Scotland and 30 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Kimberly most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kimberly ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #446 in 2021. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.