Camile
A feminine name of French origin meaning "young ceremonial attendant".
Name Census estimates that about 921 living Americans carry the first name Camile. It is a predominantly female name (96.8% of registrations). The average person named Camile today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Camile births was 1991 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Camile. 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.
People living today
921
~ 1 in 372,155 Americans
Peak year
1991
32 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
1932 SSA rank
#3,852
Tracked since 1917
Gender
Gender distribution for Camile
Camile leans heavily female at 96.8% of total registrations, but 33 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Camile as a male name
- Ranked #3,852 in 1932
- 5 male births in 1932
- Peak: 1917 (6 births)
Camile as a female name
- Ranked #7,640 in 2024
- 14 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1991 (32 births)
Popularity
Camile: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Camile from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 207 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Camile 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 Camile during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Camiles live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New York, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Camile, while Louisiana, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 23 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Camile
The name Camile originates from the French language and has its roots in the Latin name Camillus. The name Camillus itself is derived from the word "camillus," which referred to a young boy servant who assisted priests during religious ceremonies in ancient Rome.
In ancient Roman times, the name Camillus was a fairly common given name for boys. One of the earliest and most notable historical figures bearing this name was Marcus Furius Camillus, a Roman military leader and statesman who lived from around 446 BC to 365 BC. He played a crucial role in the war against the Gauls and was instrumental in the defense of Rome during the Gallic invasion in 390 BC.
As the name Camillus spread across Europe, it underwent various modifications and adaptations in different languages. In French, it became Camile, which later evolved into the more modern spellings of Camille (for males) and Camille (for females).
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Camile can be found in the 16th century. A notable figure bearing this name was Camille de Nevers (1505-1563), a French nobleman who served as the Count of Nevers and Rethel.
Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the name Camile. These include Camille Desmoulins (1760-1794), a French journalist and revolutionary who played a significant role in the French Revolution; Camille Claudel (1864-1943), a French sculptor and graphic artist known for her work in the late 19th century; and Camille Pissarro (1830-1903), a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter.
Other famous individuals named Camile include Camile Flammarion (1842-1925), a French astronomer and author who made significant contributions to the study of astronomy; and Camile Paglia (born 1947), an American academic and social critic known for her scholarly work on feminism and popular culture.
While the name Camile has its origins in ancient Rome and has been used throughout various periods of history, it remains a popular name in many parts of the world, particularly in French-speaking regions and countries with French cultural influences.
People
Camile + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Camile 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
Camile: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Camile?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 921 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Camile 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 372,155 US residents.
Is Camile a common name?
We classify Camile as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,017 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Camile most popular?
The single biggest year for Camile was 1991, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Camile is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Camile a female name?
Yes, 96.8% of people registered as Camile in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.