Camacho
A Spanish surname meaning "a curved path" or "path of campaigns".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Camacho. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Camacho today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Camacho births was 1985 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Camacho. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Camacho. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1985
5 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
1985 SSA rank
#6,665
Tracked since 1985
Popularity
Camacho: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Camacho by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Camacho during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Camacho
The given name Camacho originates from the Spanish language and has its roots in the medieval period of the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to be derived from the Latin name "Camachos," which in turn comes from the Greek word "kamakos," meaning "curly-haired."
In the 12th and 13th centuries, the name Camacho was commonly used among the nobility and upper classes in Spain and Portugal. Historical records suggest that it was particularly popular in the regions of Castile, Aragon, and Andalusia.
One of the earliest known references to the name Camacho can be found in the medieval Spanish epic poem "El Cantar de Mio Cid," which dates back to the late 12th century. In this work, a character named Camacho is mentioned as a companion of the legendary hero El Cid.
Throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period, several prominent figures bore the name Camacho. Among them was Pedro Camacho, a 14th-century Spanish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors. Another notable bearer of the name was Álvaro Camacho, a 16th-century Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous voyage around the world.
In the 17th century, the name Camacho gained popularity among the Spanish settlers in the Americas. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Juan Camacho, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés in the 1520s.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Camacho continued to be used in Spain and its former colonies, with several notable figures bearing this name. For example, Manuel Camacho was a Mexican politician and military leader who played a significant role in the Mexican War of Independence in the early 19th century.
Other notable individuals named Camacho include Sebastián Camacho, a 19th-century Colombian writer and poet; Ramón Camacho, a 20th-century Mexican painter and muralist; and Jesús Camacho, a 20th-century Spanish footballer who played for Real Madrid and the Spanish national team.
People
Camacho + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Camacho as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Camacho: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Camacho?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Camacho going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Camacho a common name?
We classify Camacho as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Camacho most popular?
The single biggest year for Camacho was 1985, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Camacho is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Camacho in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Camacho a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Camacho in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Camacho still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Camacho in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Camacho can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Camacho?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.