Kimberley is a surname in the English language. A variant form of the surname is Kimberly.[1]
| Language(s) | English |
|---|---|
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Kimberly |
| See also | Kimberley, Kimberly (given names) |
Kimberley is derived from any of several places in England named Kimberley.[1] However, several such places have differing etymologies. For example, the Kimberly in Norfolk is derived from two Old English elements: the first is the feminine personal name Cyneburg; the second element is lēah, meaning "wood" or "clearing".[2] The Kimberly in Nottinghamshire is similarly derived, although the personal name is Cynemær. Likewise the Kimberly in Warwickshire is derived from the personal name Cynebold.[3]
An early record of the surname is de Chineburlai, in 1161; and de Kynmerley, in 1300.[4]
The Earls of Kimberley derived their title from the place name in Norfolk. Their name gave rise to the like-named place Kimberley, in Northern Cape, South Africa. From this South African place name comes the modern given names Kimberley and Kimberly.[5]
Notable people with the surname include:
- Anna Kimberley (born 1995), English female professional squash player
- Barry Kimberley (born 1957), Australian rules footballer
- Edward Kimberley (1762-1829), convict on the First Fleet to Botany Bay
- Eleazer Kimberly (1639–1709), the sixth Secretary of the State of Connecticut
- Gail Kimberly (1927–2011), American writer
- John A. Kimberly (1838–1928), American manufacturing executive, a founder of Kimberly-Clark Corporation
- Jonathan Kimberley DD (1651–1720), Dean of Lichfield from 1713 until his death
- Lawrence Kimberley (born 1962), Dean of Christchurch since 2015
- Lewis Kimberly (1830–1902), United States Naval officer during the American Civil War
- Maria Kimberly (born 1943 or 1944), former American top model and actress
- Oliver Kimberley, Anglican priest in the first half of the Twentieth century
- Patrícia Kimberly, born Gisele Barbosa (born 1984), Brazilian prostitute, stripper, pornographic actress
- Percy Kimberley (1878–1949), Australian rules footballer
- Ron Kimberley (1914–1981), Australian rules footballer
- Talis Kimberley, British folk singer/songwriter, activist, and political figure
- Walter Kimberley (1884–1917), English footballer
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Learn about the family history of your surname, Ancestry.com, retrieved 8 December 2010 which cited: Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4 for the surnames "Kimberly", "Kimberley".
- ^ Kimberley, Encyclopedia.com, retrieved 8 December 2010 which cited: Mills, A. D. (2003), A Dictionary of British Place-Names, Oxford University Press
- ^ Rye, James (1991), A popular guide to Norfolk place-names, Larks Press, ISBN 978-0-948400-15-5
- ^ Reaney, Percy Hilde; Wilson, Richard Middlewood (2006), A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.), London: Routledge, pp. 1854–1855, ISBN 0-203-99355-1
- ^ 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
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