Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to:

Places, jurisdictions and historical events

Australia

Canada

South Africa

United Kingdom

United States

People

Kimberly is a female 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. The first element, Kimber, reflect various Old English personal names; in the case of the Earldom in Norfolk this first appeared as Chineburlai in 1086 and seems to mean "clearing of a woman called Cyneburg." The second element is the Old English leah or leigh "meadow, clearing in a woodland". A variant spelling of the name is Kimberley.

Origin of the given name

The given name Kimberley is derived from place, Kimberley, in Northern Cape, South Africa. This South African place name was named after a Lord Kimberley in the 19th century. At the end of the 19th century, this place was the scene of fighting and a British victory during the Second Boer War, and consequently the given name was popularised in the English-speaking world.

The name of Lord Kimberley's title is derived from Kimberley, in Norfolk, England. This place name is derived from two Old English elements: the first is the feminine personal name Cyneburg; the second element is lēah, meaning "wood" or "clearing". The place name roughly means: the "woodland clearing of Cyneburg". This place name was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Chineburlai. The Old English personal name Cyneburg means "royal-fortress".

Kimberley is a surname in the English language. A variant form of the surname is Kimberly.

Kimberley is derived from any of several places in England named Kimberley. 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". 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.

An early record of the surname is de Chineburlai, in 1161; and de Kynmerley, in 1300.

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.

Notable people with the surname include: