KIME

Kime is a surname of English provenance, principally associated with the region of the British Isles and particularly with the rural county of Lincolnshire in England. The name is a variant of Kyme, a place name recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Chime and Northchime, which in modern form survive as North Kyme and South Kyme. The origin of the placename is traceable to the Old English word cymbe, derived from cumb, a term meaning a low-lying depression or valley, and consequently a lake or basin. The surname emerged as a locational identifier for those who had resided or held land in or near these villages.

Early documentary evidence of the family name includes the record of Philip de Kyme in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire dated 1273, during the reign of King Edward I, who is described as the lord of the manor. Subsequent entries present John de Kyme in the Pipe Rolls of 1170, and the later marriage of Anthony Kime to Elizabeth Cracroft on 2 May 1558 in Burgh-le-Marsh, as well as the christening of John, son of Robert and Alce Kime, on 15 August 1641 at Pickworth. These documents illustrate the establishment and continuity of the name within the region over several centuries.

The etymology of Kime is generally accepted to stem from the Old English cyme, which has at least two distinct meanings. The first interpretation associates it with cyme meaning “arrival” or “coming”, suggesting that an early bearer of the name could have been nicknamed for arriving from another settlement. The second interpretation links the name to a geographic feature, with cyme also meaning “bend” or “curve”. In this sense the name would have been applied to a person living near a curving bend of a river or roadway. Both meanings are consonant with the locational nature of the surname.

A coat of arms granted to a family of the name records a gold chevron between three gold crosslets on a blue shield, a heraldic device that reflects the family’s social standing within the local gentry of Lincolnshire.

In contemporary England the surname is uncommon but still most frequent within the United Kingdom, especially in the south‑east and south‑west. Diaspora movements have carried the name to countries such as the United States, Australia, and Canada, although the concentration remains modest and dispersed. Within the United Kingdom, the name no longer exhibits strong localisation and is instead spread through internal migration across the country. The surname is recorded in various historical documents with alternative spellings such as Kyme, Kymes, and occasionally Kimy or Kimey, reflecting changes in dialect and orthographic practice over time.

Overall, the surname Kime retains its primary identification as a locational marker linked to the village of Kyme in Lincolnshire. Its documented history, ranging from the 12th‑century Pipe Rolls to the 17th‑century parish registers and heraldic records, affirms its longstanding presence in English society, and its meaning today is largely inherited through lineage rather than through direct association with its original geographical or occupational connotations.

Typical given names associated with the Kime surname

Male

• Andrew
• Anthony
• David
• John
• Michael
• Nicholas
• Paul
• Philip
• Robert
• Sean
• Stephen

Female

• Anna
• Catherine
• Dawn
• Diane
• Elizabeth
• Gillian
• Hannah
• Helen
• Josephine
• Margaret
• Michelle
• Patricia
• Rebecca
• 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 Kime in...

Braille

⠅⠊⠍⠑

Morse

-.-..--.

Semaphore

Origin: English

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: England

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: English

Famous people named Kime

• Geoff Kime - Darts player

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.

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