The village was first mentioned in 1425 as a fief of a Peter von Thys named Leimbach.

Due to the barren fields and the severe poverty of the inhabitants they decided to emigrate mainly to America leaving their farms behind which were abandoned afterwards.

According to a resolution of the local borough council in 1914, the village was allowed, by an imperial decree of 31 January 1916, to rename itself Hohenleimbach, because of the negative image of the nickname Wüstleimbach ("deserted Leimbach").

The small village Lederbach one mile in the north is part of the municipality.

Centuries ago there was another little village named Rembach and situated in the south of Hohenleimbach at the mouth of the Lederbach ("Leatherbrook") running into the Nette rivulet, consisting of only four farms.