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HelpRe: Kimberly on a boy?
in reply to a message by V.
I hate the name no matter what gender but at least I wouldn't pity a girl for having the name. If it were on a boy I would feel sorry for him because it's a female name. He would get teased...
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Kimberly's not a female name
Kimberly's usage as a fn came from a South African city that was named after Lord Kimberley. The surname does come from from a female name, Cyneburga, but boys were the first to be given the name Kimberly in honour of the city after it became prominent during the Boer War, in the 19th century. It was only later in the 20th century (1940s, to be exact) that girls were given the name Kimberly.
In short, Kimberly's unisex, not female.
Miranda
EDIT: Added Boer War stuff and more precise dates
Kimberly's usage as a fn came from a South African city that was named after Lord Kimberley. The surname does come from from a female name, Cyneburga, but boys were the first to be given the name Kimberly in honour of the city after it became prominent during the Boer War, in the 19th century. It was only later in the 20th century (1940s, to be exact) that girls were given the name Kimberly.
In short, Kimberly's unisex, not female.
Miranda
EDIT: Added Boer War stuff and more precise dates
This message was edited 11/3/2004, 6:20 PM
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Another (Australian) source . . .
Is the Kimberley (also the Kimberleys), a region in Western Australia. I know of at least one boy (historically) named after this region. This may have contributed to its modern popularity in Australia. The spelling also might explain why Kimberley is more popular than Kimberly in Australia
(. . . although that's doubtful as 'ey' is always more popular than straight 'y' in Australia.)
:-)
Is the Kimberley (also the Kimberleys), a region in Western Australia. I know of at least one boy (historically) named after this region. This may have contributed to its modern popularity in Australia. The spelling also might explain why Kimberley is more popular than Kimberly in Australia
(. . . although that's doubtful as 'ey' is always more popular than straight 'y' in Australia.)
:-)
This message was edited 11/3/2004, 7:13 PM
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