Kimora

Meaning & origin

Kimora first appeared in U.S. Social Security records in 1990, marking it as a distinctly modern name. It rose quickly in popularity, reaching its peak rank in 2008, and has since been in a gradual decline: by 2025 it had fallen to rank 1,150 with a frequency of about 1 in 7,996 births. Though its etymology is uncertain, the name likely follows a pattern of blending the widely recognized Kim- element with the popular -ora suffix. Geographically, Kimora has been most common in the South, with its top three states being Mississippi, South Carolina, and Alabama, reflecting a regional preference for the name. Parents drawn to stylish, contemporary-sounding names may find Kimora a distinctive choice, yet its trajectory suggests that it peaked in the mid-2000s and is now less frequently chosen.

Kimora first appeared in the United States in the 1990s, likely as a modern invented name. It may have been formed from the fashionable prefix Kim- (as in Kim or Kimberly) combined with the suffix -ora, echoing names like Nora. The name gained visibility through model and fashion designer Kimora Lee Simmons (born 1975), though her own name is a variant of Kimiko, a Japanese name. Kimora remains primarily a modern American coinage.