Kimbra
A feminine name originating from the British Isles with an uncertain meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 1,039 living Americans carry the first name Kimbra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kimbra today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kimbra births was 1961 (68 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kimbra. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 329,889 Americans
Peak year
1961
68 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
2015 SSA rank
#17,887
Tracked since 1951
Popularity
Kimbra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kimbra from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 446 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
Kimbra 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 Kimbra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kimbras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Pennsylvania, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Kimbra, while Tennessee, Oregon, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 43 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kimbra
The name Kimbra is a relatively modern name, with its origins tracing back to the late 20th century. It is believed to be a feminized form of the name Kimball, which is an English surname derived from the Old English words "cymbale" and "ball," meaning "cup-shaped hill."
While the exact origin of the name Kimbra is not entirely clear, it is thought to have emerged as a creative variation of the name Kimberly, which itself is a combination of the English names Kim and Berly. The name Kimberly gained popularity in the United States in the mid-20th century.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Kimbra can be found in the 1980s, when it was given to a handful of newborns in various parts of the world. However, it was not until the late 1990s and early 2000s that the name started to gain more widespread recognition.
One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the name Kimbra is Kimbra Johnson, an American singer-songwriter born in 1990. She rose to prominence with her critically acclaimed debut album "Vows" in 2011, which showcased her unique blend of pop, rock, and soul music.
Another famous Kimbra is Kimbra Lee Johnson, a New Zealand singer-songwriter born in 1990. She is best known for her collaborations with artists like Gotye and Mark Foster, as well as her solo work, which blends various genres including pop, jazz, and alternative rock.
In the world of literature, Kimbra Loring is a fictional character from the novel "The Daughter of Time" by Josephine Tey, published in 1951. The character plays a pivotal role in solving a historical mystery surrounding the fate of King Richard III.
Kimbra Hickey is an Australian actress born in 1982, known for her roles in various television shows and films, including the popular series "Wentworth."
Lastly, Kimbra Audrey Staveley is a British entrepreneur and businesswoman born in 1975, who co-founded the successful online fashion retailer Boohoo.com.
While the name Kimbra may not have a long and storied history like some more traditional names, its unique sound and modern appeal have contributed to its growing popularity in recent decades, particularly among creative individuals in the arts and entertainment industries.
People
Kimbra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kimbra 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
Kimbra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kimbra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,039 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kimbra 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 329,889 US residents.
Is Kimbra a common name?
We classify Kimbra as "Rare". It ranks above 90.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,226 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kimbra most popular?
The single biggest year for Kimbra was 1961, when 68 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kimbra is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kimbra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kimbra 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.