How two women with the exact same name became best friends

(CNN) — Growing up in the US, Kim Pflieger always thought her name was relatively unusual. Sure, Kimberly was fairly commonplace, but it was one of those names with multiple available spellings, and she rarely came across another Pflieger. She figured her first and last name paired together was unique.

But with the advent of the internet, Kim became aware of another Kimberly Pflieger.

Whenever Kim created email addresses, she usually had to add a dot or a dash in there, as alternative options were already taken. As she established herself as a producer in the reality TV world, and later a life coach, this other Kimberly Pflieger, a Canadian health professional, often popped up next to her on Google, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Kim always shortened her name, whereas the other Kimberly didn’t. Otherwise, they’d shared the exact same name with the same spelling since childhood, and even seemed to be a similar age — both in their early 60s.

Naturally curious, Kim was intrigued by the other Kimberly. Pflieger is a German name that Kim learned originated from the region of Europe once known as Alsace-Lorraine, which swapped back and forth between France and Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries. Kim found herself wondering whether the two women had shared ancestry.

Midway through 2019, Kim decided to drop the other Kimberly a friendly message on LinkedIn, explaining her reasons for reaching out, hoping the stranger wouldn’t find it odd.

Less than an hour later, she received an enthusiastic response from Kimberly.

Canadian Kimberly says she had also long been aware of, and intrigued by, her US equivalent, who she knew, thanks to Google, lived a glamorous life working in television in Los Angeles.

“Wow, she has the exact same name as me, the exact same way,” Kimberly recalls thinking the first time she stumbled across Kim.

Kimberly never expected to hear from Kim, but she says she was delighted to receive the message out of the blue that day in 2019.

After a bit of back and forth on LinkedIn, the two women exchanged email addresses. Over long emails, they chatted about their respective lives as Kimberly Pflieger.

It was quickly obvious the two Kimberlys shared not only the same name, but the same outlook on life. They were both deep thinkers, naturally inquisitive, sociable and keen for connection.

“We had a lot of…