KIMBER
Kimber is a surname of English origin that has been recorded within the British Isles for several centuries. It is recognized as an occupational name in certain traditions, though locational explanations also exist.
The name is derived, in one etymological line, from the Old English personal name Cynebeorht, which translates as bright royal or bright warrior. Another hypothesis connects the surname with the village of Kimber in Wiltshire, England, suggesting a locational origin. A third possibility links Kimber to the occupational term kimmer, which referred to a worker in the mining industry, thereby associating the name with mining activities.
Early documentary evidence places the surname in the early 14th century. The first recorded spelling appears as Roger le Kembar in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, during the reign of Edward II. Variants such as Kember and Kimbrough are also found in medieval records, indicating regional spelling differences.
The surname also has a mythic resonance through a matronymic derivation. It may have originated from the Old English female personal name Cyneburh, composed of the elements cyne meaning royal and burh meaning fortress or stronghold. Cyneburh was a daughter of the 7th-century King Penda of Mercia; her conversion to Christianity and the foundation of an abbey under her leadership earned her veneration as a saint during the Middle Ages, and children were sometimes named in her honour.
Notable bearers of the surname include Edward Kimber, who was christened in London on 31 January 1581, and Isaac Kimber, a general Baptist minister who edited The Morning Chronicle between 1728 and 1732, produced Ainsworth's Latin Dictionary in 1751, and published a Life of Oliver Cromwell in 1724.
The coat of arms associated with the Kimber family comprises a silver shield displaying three black Cornish choughs, with beaks and legs in red. A black chief bears three silver mullets, and the crest features a bull's head affrontee in natural colours.
Today, the surname continues to be borne by individuals in the United Kingdom and abroad, preserving a linguistic heritage that reflects both personal and occupational aspects of early English society.
Typical given names associated with the Kimber surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Barbara
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jane
- Julie
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Rachel
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Kimber in...
Braille
⠅⠊⠍⠃⠑⠗
Morse
-.-..---.....-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 5,208 people named Kimber in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,817th most common surname in Britain. Around 80 in a million people in Britain are named Kimber.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Kimber
- Cecil Kimber - Automobile designer (1888 to 1945)
- Sidney Kimber - Politician (1873 to 1949)
- Charles Kimber - Australian politician (1826 to 1913)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.