Kimberlee
A feminine name derived from the English place name Kimberley.
Name Census estimates that about 15,539 living Americans carry the first name Kimberlee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kimberlee today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kimberlee births was 1970 (576 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kimberlee. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
16K
~ 1 in 22,058 Americans
Peak year
1970
576 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,209
Tracked since 1947
Popularity
Kimberlee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kimberlee from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 4,832 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kimberlee by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kimberlee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kimberlees live
The SSA's state-level files cover 48 states and territories. California, Texas, Michigan recorded the most babies named Kimberlee, while Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Delaware recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 290 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kimberlee
The name Kimberlee is an English given name derived from the Old English word "cyn" meaning "royal" or "kin," and the word "beorg," meaning "hill" or "fortified place." It is believed to have originated from the region of Kimberly, a town in the northern English county of Norfolk, during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kimberlee can be traced back to the 12th century. In the Domesday Book, a historical manuscript commissioned in 1086 by William the Conqueror, there is a reference to a place called "Kynberia," which is believed to be the precursor to the modern name Kimberley or Kimberlee.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kimberlee. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Kimberlee de Ingham (1280-1349), an English noblewoman and landowner who held significant property and influence in the county of Norfolk during the 14th century.
Another notable figure was Kimberlee Whetstone (1566-1628), an English merchant and explorer who was part of the early English colonization efforts in North America. He was among the first settlers to establish the Jamestown Colony in Virginia in 1607.
In the realm of literature, Kimberlee Mansfield (1888-1923) was a renowned English novelist and poet known for her works exploring themes of love, loss, and the human condition. Her novel "The Garden Party" is considered a classic of modernist literature.
In more recent times, Kimberlee Meredith (1919-2005) was an influential American civil rights activist and leader in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She played a pivotal role in the desegregation efforts in the United States during the mid-20th century.
Lastly, Kimberlee Blackburn (born 1961) is a contemporary Australian singer-songwriter and musician, known for her unique blend of folk, rock, and pop music. Her album "The Forgetting and the Forgotten" received critical acclaim and showcased her poetic lyricism and storytelling abilities.
People
Kimberlee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kimberlee as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kimberlee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kimberlee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15,539 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kimberlee going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 22,058 US residents.
Is Kimberlee a common name?
We classify Kimberlee as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17,661 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kimberlee most popular?
The single biggest year for Kimberlee was 1970, when 576 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kimberlee is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kimberlee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kimberlee in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.