2000
#12,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,336
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Kimberlin
A locational surname derived from places called Kimberley in Nottinghamshire or Norfolk, England, meaning "Cyneburg's clearing".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,566 Americans carry the last name Kimberlin. That puts it at #13,103 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,575 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kimberlin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kimberlin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 133,575
Census rank
#13,103
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,238 bearers of the surname Kimberlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13103rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kimberlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kimberlin
The surname Kimberlin is an English surname that originated in the county of Staffordshire, England, during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the place name Kimberleys or Kinberley, which means "Cyneburg's lea" or "wood pasture of a woman called Cyneburg." The name is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Chinbaldestone."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199, where it is listed as "Robert de Kinberlega." This indicates that the surname was already well-established in the region by the late 12th century.
Throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname appeared in various records with variations such as Kinberley, Kymberley, and Kymberleye. One notable example is John de Kymberleye, who was a member of the Parliament of England in 1335.
In the 16th century, the spelling of the surname solidified as Kimberlin or Kymberlin. During this period, the name is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1523, where it is listed as "Thomas Kimberlin."
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was William Kimberlin, who was born in Staffordshire in 1545 and became a prominent landowner in the region.
Another notable individual with this surname was John Kimberlin, a 17th-century English clergyman and author who was born in Staffordshire in 1612 and wrote several religious works.
In the 18th century, the surname spread beyond Staffordshire to other parts of England. One example is Thomas Kimberlin, who was born in Derbyshire in 1735 and served as a justice of the peace.
A famous bearer of the surname in the 19th century was Edward Kimberlin, an English architect who was born in Birmingham in 1822. He designed several notable buildings in the city, including the Birmingham Town Hall.
Another individual of note was James Kimberlin, a British explorer and naturalist who was born in Warwickshire in 1856. He traveled extensively in Africa and made significant contributions to the study of African wildlife.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kimberlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Kimberlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kimberlin bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Kimberlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 2,004
- Two or more races5.1% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 13
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kimberlin
Kimberlin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,391
+55 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 641 places
2020
#13,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,238
-153 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,231 | 2,336 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,872 | 2,391 | 0.81 | +55 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 641 places |
| 2020 | #13,103 | 2,238 | 0.75 | -153 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 231 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Kimberlin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,872 | #13,103 | -1.8% |
| Count | 2,391 | 2,238 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.75 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kimberlin bearers went from 2,391 to 2,238 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 231 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,872 to #13,103.
FAQ
Kimberlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kimberlin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,566 living Americans carry the surname Kimberlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,575 residents.
How common is Kimberlin?
Kimberlin ranks #13,103 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,238 people with the surname Kimberlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,566), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kimberlin.
Has Kimberlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kimberlin went from 2,391 recorded bearers to 2,238. That is a decrease of 153 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,872 to #13,103.
What does the Census say about the background of Kimberlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kimberlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kimberlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (2,004 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kimberlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Hispanic (3.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Kimberlin (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Kimberlin mean?
A locational surname derived from places called Kimberley in Nottinghamshire or Norfolk, England, meaning "Cyneburg's clearing". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Kimberlin (0.75 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Kimberlin?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Kimberlin is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.