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Kimball History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Kimball History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Kimball

What does the name Kimball mean?

The name Kimball has a rich and ancient history. It is an Anglo-Saxon name that was originally derived from Buckinghamshire at either Great Kimble or Little Kimble, parishes in the union of Wycombe, hundred of Aylesbury. "[Great Kimble] according to old records, was anciently called Kunebel, from Cunobelin, or Cymbeline, the British king, whose sons here gallantly opposed the Romans, but were defeated, and one of them slain. There are still the remains of several intrenchments on the supposed field of battle; and on a circular mound in the neighbourhood are vestiges of a fortification termed Belinus' Castle, where it is said Cunobelin dwelt. " 1

Both places are listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 collectively as Chenebelle, and literally meant "royal bell-shaped hill," from the Old English words "cyne" + "bell." 2

Early Origins of the Kimball family

The surname Kimball was first found in Wiltshire where Turbet filius Chembel was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1130. A few years later, Richard Cembel was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Huntingdonshire, and later Roger Cumbel, Chimbel, Kymbel, Kimbel was found in the Pipe Rolls for Warwickshire, 1191-1193. Over in Suffolk, John Kennebelle was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for 1327. 3

Robert Kinebald was found in Somerset 1215-1221; Ralph Kenebold in the 13th century on the Isle of Wight; William Kembald in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1302; William Kenebold and Nicholas Kembol, both in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. 3

Hugo de Kenebell was found in the Curia Regis Rolls for Berkshire in 1196; Roger de Kinebelle in the Hundredorum Rolls for Berkshire in 1255; and Thomas de Kymble was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1327. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two entries for the family: Richard de Kinebell Buckinghamshire; and John de Kinebelle, Oxfordshire. 4

In Norfolk, Nicholas Kymbell was listed there 3 Henry IV (during the third year of King Henry IV's reign.) 5

Early History of the Kimball family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kimball research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1196, 1599, 1625, 1654, 1657, 1678, 1679, 1680, 1721, 1729, 1736, 1742, 1751, 1752, 1754, 1758, 1802, 1804 and 1822 are included under the topic Early Kimball History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kimball Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Kimball include Kimball, Kimbell, Kimbel, Kemple, Kemble, Kimble and others.

Early Notables of the Kimball family

Notables of the family at this time include Saint John Kemble (1599-1679), an English Roman Catholic martyr, one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He "appears to have been son of George Kemble of Longford, Herefordshire. He was ordained priest at Douay 23 Feb. 1625, and on 4 June was sent on the mission in Herefordshire. In 1678, at the time of the Popish plot, he was seized at Pembridge Castle, Herefordshire, where he was living as chaplain to the Scudamore family. He was tried at Hereford, convicted as having said mass at Pembridge, and executed at Widemarsh Common...
Another 256 words (18 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kimball Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kimball Ranking

In the United States, the name Kimball is the 1,143^rd most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 6

Kimball migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Kimball Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Kimball, who arrived in New England in 1630, moving on to Boston with his wife Susan and children John, Martha, Mary, Richard, and Thomas
Henry Kimball, who arrived in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1638 7
Thomas Kimball, who arrived in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1665 7
Richard Kimball, who landed in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1675 7

Kimball Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Stephen Kimball, who landed in Mississippi in 1798 7

Kimball Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John and George Kimball, who settled in New York in 1823
James and John Kimball both arrived at San Francisco in 1850
Thomas E Kimball, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
G Kimball, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
Charles Kimball, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kimball migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kimball Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John I Kimball, who landed in Canada in 1841

Contemporary Notables of the name Kimball (post 1700) +

Agnes Kimball (1881-1918), American soprano, a highly popular recording artist in the United States during the 1910s, and is best remembered for recordings she made during the first half of that decade with the Victor Talking Machine Company, Columbia Records, and Edison Records
Mary Ellen Kimball -Purdham (b. 1929), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, born in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Thomas "Toby" Kimball (1942-2017), American professional basketball player who played from 1965 to 1975
Edward Lawrence Kimball (1930-2016), American scholar, lawyer, and historian, emeritus law professor at Brigham Young University (BYU)
Arthur Lionel Kimball III (1941-2014), American politician, Member of the Utah State Senate from 1977 to 1982
Brigadier-General Allen Russell Kimball (1886-1951), American Commanding General Schenectady General Supply Depot, New York (1945-1946) 8
Sumner Increase Kimball (1834-1923), American lawyer with the US Coast Guard, organizer of the U.S. Life-Saving Service
Sidney Fiske Kimball (1888-1955), American architect and writer
Cheyenne Nichole Kimball (b. 1990), American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Michael Kimball (b. 1967), American novelist
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Kimball family +

RMS Titanic

Mrs. Gertrude Kimball, (née Parsons), aged 45, American First Class passenger from Boston, Massachusetts who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 5 9
Mr. Edwin Nelson Kimball Jr., aged 42, American First Class passenger from Boston, Massachusetts who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 5 9

St. Francis Dam

Mr. Gerald Arthur Kimball, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 30) Allen Kimball. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Kimball/Allen_Russell/USA.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html