Kimber
Kimber was the 936th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 278 babies. Its best year was 2016, when it ranked 593rd with 516 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 305 places. More babies were named Kimber in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Kimberly; or English surname · English, Old English
Say it KIM-ber /ˈkɪmbɚ/
- Rank in 2025
- #936 girls, down 251 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 278girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2016516 babies
- Total since 1880
- 11,666babies recorded
What does the name Kimber mean?
In the US Kimber is mostly used as a short form of Kimberly, a name taken from the South African diamond town of Kimberley, which was named after Lord Kimberley, whose title comes from an English place name. Kimber is also an English surname. Wiktionary gives two origins: from the Anglo-Saxon women's name Cyneburh (cyne- 'royal' + burh 'fortress'), and from East and West Kimber in Devon, a place named from Old English elements probably meaning 'warrior's grove'.
cyne- (Old English, “royal”)burh (Old English, “fortress”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Several unrelated sources lead to the same form; for most American bearers it is a short form of Kimberly.
Related names: Kimberly, Kim, Kymber.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kimber', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kimberly', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Nicknames for Kimber
The usual nicknames for Kimber are Kim. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Kimber in the last five years, 11 were named Kim, against 132 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kim · also for Kimberly | Modern | #4,228 | 179 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Kimbers go by each one.
Kimber popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 451 since 1914, 15 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #936 | 278 |
| 2020 | #685 | 415 |
| 2010 | #971 | 263 |
| 2000 | #3,099 | 45 |
| 1990 | #985 | 188 |
| 1980 | #2,138 | 48 |
| 1970 | #1,551 | 63 |
| 1960 | #1,273 | 75 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kimber, counting every spelling?
Kimber is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #856 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #936 for Kimber on its own. Together these spellings went to 303 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimber | 278 | #936 | 1,667 |
| Kymber | 25 | #5,167 | 183 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Kimber?
278 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kimber (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kimber born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 30 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kimber.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kimber?
About 10,900 people born in the US named Kimber are alive today, with a median age of 14; half are between 8 and 34. That makes Kimber mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Kimber by state
How common Kimber was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Montana (10.4×), West Virginia (6.9×), Arkansas (5.3×), Oklahoma (4.8×), Idaho (4.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, Michigan, Wisconsin.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kimber: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kimber, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kimber · Sibling names for Kimber
Questions about the name Kimber
What does Kimber mean?
Kimber is usually explained as “short form of Kimberly; or English surname”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Kimber?
Kimber was the 936th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 278 babies. Its best year was 2016, when it ranked 593rd with 516 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 305 places. More babies were named Kimber in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Kimber a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Kimber in the US.
Where is Kimber most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kimber was most common in Montana (2.14 per 1,000 girls), followed by West Virginia and Wyoming.