In 1161, the placename Kinheim had its first documentary mention. The name’s meaning is uncertain. It is believed that the determiner "Ken" is of pre-Roman origin. The root word "Heim" suggests that Kinheim was an early Frankish settlement. The outlying centre of Kindel across the river was named as early as 1069 as "Kennelle", and was later called "Kinelle" (1304) or "Kinnel" (1404). Kindel is surely a daughter settlement of Kinheim, for "Kennelle" means “little Kindel”. Furthermore, Kinheim had an outlying centre in the Alf valley, today’s Kinderbeuern (1296: "Kynheymerbüren"), which until sometime about 1740 was politically united with the municipality of Kinheim.