Girl · #260 in 2026

Kimberly

Name: Popularity of the name Kimberly in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Kimberly, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Kimberley is a 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.

Current Rank

#260

Peak Rank

#2 (1970)

Total Babies

848K

5-Yr Trend

-19%

1933

First Year

2026

Last Year

1970

Peak Year

Peak Rank

848K

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Kimberly

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Kimberly

Kimberly first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1933, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1970, when 34,133 Kimberlys were born — ranking #3 that year. As of 2026, Kimberly ranks #260 for baby girls with 1,233 births, falling sharply (-19%). In total, more than 848K Kimberlys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1930s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Kimberly

Phonetically similar names — useful when Kimberly is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Kimberley
Kimberlee
Kimberleys
Kimbra
Kimberlin
Kimbro
Kimbrough
Cambrai
Kimberlite
Kimberling
Wimberley
Limberly

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kimberly

What does the name Kimberly mean?

How popular is Kimberly in 2026?

In 2026, Kimberly ranks #260 among girls' names in the U.S., with 1,233 babies given the name that year.

When was Kimberly most popular?

Kimberly reached its peak popularity in 1970, ranking #2 that year with 34,133 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Kimberly most popular?

Kimberly has historically been most popular in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kimberly.

Is Kimberly a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Kimberly is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Kimberly?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kimberly include Anna, Helen, Susan. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Kimberly

Kimberly is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1933 and has accumulated 848K births in the dataset. Kimberly's peak popularity came in 1970 when it ranked #2. Use the chart and map above to compare Kimberly's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.