Kimberly is a beautiful baby girl’s name, but what is the Biblical meaning of the name Kimberly? Kimberly is a name with a single origin but with a couple of meanings. The name originated from Old English and can mean chief, rules, or from a royal fortress meadow.
The meaning has a few spiritual implications as well, which makes it a great Christian girl name. As a Christian name, Kimberly can remind someone of their royal nature through Jesus Christ. Beyond that, Kimberly as a royal fortress meadow can make us recall that God is our shepherd. He is with us in the pastures.
The name meaning has a strong connotation, which makes it great as a feminine name. It resembles the leadership qualities of a woman.
As a given name, it has become very popular. It was especially popular in the late 19th century, so it might not be considered a unique name. Nonetheless, the name meaning gives value to the name, regardless of whether it has become popular.
Kimberly is a great name, so let’s look deeper into its origin and meaning to see if there is any spiritual or Biblical meaning for the name Kimberly.
The Literal Meaning of the Name Kimberly
Kimberly can be traced back to the Old English language. Within the origin of the name Kimberly, there were a few different meanings that would have been associated with the name Kimberly. It would have been a compound name, which meant that it was a combination of names. It also would have had a simple translation based on the shortening of the name Joachim.
Being a traditional English name the meanings for Kim are Royal Fortress Meadow and Chief or ruler.
Royal Fortress Meadow
The first Old English origin meaning of the name Kimberly is royal fortress meadow, which is specifically a place name. It is the combination of two Old English words. The first is Cyneburg, which means “Royal Fortress.” The second is Leah. In Old English, Leah meant, “Clearing,” or “Meadow.”
When you combine these two names together, you get the meaning of a royal fortress meadow. The combination of the names brings even more value to the name Kimberly.
As a place name, there is a town in South Africa that received the name Kimberley. The English even fought in this town during the Boer War. During the Boer War, John Wodehouse became the 1st Earl of Kimberley. He was referred to as Lord Kimberley. Many people believe that is why the name Kimberley became a surname.
Chief or Ruler
Another main origin for the name Kimberly is that it is the feminine form of the name Kim, which is the short form of the name Joachim.
The name Joachim meant chief or ruler. When it was shortened and femininized it retained the original meaning of the name. Therefore, the name Kimberly can be thought to mean chief or ruler.
The Spiritual Meaning of the Name Kimberly
Those are the literal meanings, but what is the Biblical meaning of the name Kimberly? Although Kimberly doesn’t appear in the Bible, with analysis of the Old English version of the name, we can read some significant meaning into the name Kimberly. Specifically, the Biblical meaning of the name Kimberly might be that it is a reminder that we are spiritual royalty and that God is our shepherd.
The Spiritual meanings of the name Kimberly are great reminders about our identity in Christ and God’s love for us.
A Reminder of God’s Sheperdhood
The first part of the spiritual meaning of the name Kimberly is that it is a reminder that God is our shepherd. The meaning of the name Kimberly is a royal fortress meadow.
In Psalm 23, God is described as a shepherd. In Psalm 23:3 it says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.”
The name Kimberly reminds us that God watches over us in the meadow. We are in his royal meadow, which means He provides and takes care of us.
A Reminder of Our Spiritual Royalty
The second part of the spiritual meaning of the name Kimberly is that we are spiritual royalty. In Christian religion, a major theme is that we are adopted into a relationship with God. Our spiritual royalty is a result of being adopted by the King of Kings, God.
Romans 8:15 says, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”” This verse is a reminder that we are adopted as sons and daughters of God.
The Bible refers to God as the Lord of Lords, which would mean we are princes and princesses under the spirit of adoption that God has given us.
The Gender of the Name Kimberly
There are a few variations of the name Kimberly, which means it can transition from masculine to feminine easily. The name Kimberly specifically is the feminine form of the name Kim.
The name Kim is a unisex name because it can either be short for Kimberly or Joachim. Kim is a versatile name that could be used for either a boy or a girl.
The name Joachim is the long form of the boy’s name Kim. We don’t recommend using Joachim as a girl’s name unless the girl will be going by Kim.
The popularity of the Name Kimberly
The name Kimberly has been popular for a long time. It even dates back to the nineteenth century in the United States. In recent years, the name Kimberly has become less popular, but compared to other names it is still a popular name.
First Name
Kimberly was used as a name dating back to the late 19th century, during the Boer War. However, the name’s popularity grew in the United States during the 20th century. It even was in the top ten most popular girl’s names in the 1960s and the 1970s. Although it was popular then it has since fallen into the high200s as far as popularity in the United States.
Middle Name
Although there is no data on the popularity of Kimberly as a girl’s middle name, it can be considered a good middle name. Many people opt for single-syllable middle names, so Kim might be a more popular option than Kimberly for a middle name.
Last name
Finally, the English surname Kimberly is not a popular last name. Throughout the world, Kimberly ranks as #111,885 in terms of popular last names. That makes Kimberly a rather rare last name.
The Biblical meaning of the name Kimberly is truly powerful and makes it understandable as to why Kimberly is a popular first name. It is a beautiful name that has been popular for many years and should definitely be a consideration when choosing a baby name.
