2000
#5,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,188
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.29
Uncommon Last name
Camara
A Portuguese and Galician surname referring to a person who lived in or near a small chamber or room.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,271 Americans carry the last name Camara. That puts it at #3,859 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,371 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Camara surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Camara with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,371
Census rank
#3,859
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.0K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,957 bearers of the surname Camara in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3859th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Camara, the largest self-reported group is Black at 41.6%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Hispanic (12.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Camara
The surname Camara originated in Spain and Portugal, derived from the Latin word "camera" meaning "chamber" or "vault." It is believed to have first emerged in the Middle Ages as a reference to individuals who lived in or were associated with chambers or vaults, possibly as guards, servants, or residents.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Camara can be found in the 13th century Cortes de Valladolid, a legal document from the Kingdom of Castile. The name appears in various medieval Spanish records and manuscripts, often with slight spelling variations such as Cámara or Camara.
In Portugal, the surname Camara is closely tied to the Azores islands, where it was prominently associated with influential families and landowners. The Camara family played a significant role in the colonization and administration of the Azores archipelago in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Notable individuals with the surname Camara throughout history include:
1. Pedro Álvares Cabral (c. 1467-c. 1520), a Portuguese navigator who is credited with the discovery of Brazil in 1500 during his expedition to India. His family name was also spelled Camara.
2. Vasco da Gama (c. 1460-1524), a renowned Portuguese explorer who was the first European to reach India by sea, leading the way for the establishment of a maritime trade route. Some historical records suggest his mother's family name was Camara.
3. Diego de Camara (fl. 16th century), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Guatemala and served as the first governor of the province of Tuzulutlán.
4. Miguel de Camara (fl. 17th century), a Spanish military officer and governor of the Philippine Islands from 1645 to 1649.
5. António Manoel de Vilhena Camara e Albuquerque (1677-1747), a Portuguese military officer and governor of the Portuguese colony of Macau from 1732 to 1736.
The surname Camara has also been associated with various place names, such as Cámara de Arias (a municipality in Spain) and Camara de Lobos (a city in Madeira, Portugal), which may have influenced the adoption or propagation of the surname in certain regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Camara
Among Census respondents with the surname Camara, the largest self-reported group is Black at 41.6%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Hispanic (12.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Camara bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Camara surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American41.6% · 3,726
- White37.9% · 3,397
- Hispanic or Latino12.8% · 1,149
- Two or more races4.3% · 386
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 280
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Camara
Camara appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,324
+2,136 bearers (+34.5%)
Per 100,000 2.82
Rank movement Up 924 places
2020
#3,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,957
+633 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 3.00
Rank movement Up 404 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,187 | 6,188 | 2.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,263 | 8,324 | 2.82 | +2,136 bearers (+34.5%) | Up 924 places |
| 2020 | #3,859 | 8,957 | 3.00 | +633 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 404 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Camara surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,263 | #3,859 | 9.5% |
| Count | 8,324 | 8,957 | 7.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.82 | 3.00 | 6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Camara bearers went from 8,324 to 8,957 (+7.6% change). The surname moved up 404 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,263 to #3,859.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Camara
FAQ
Camara surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Camara?
Name Census estimates that about 10,271 living Americans carry the surname Camara. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,371 residents.
How common is Camara?
Camara ranks #3,859 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,957 people with the surname Camara. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,271), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Camara.
Has Camara become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Camara went from 8,324 recorded bearers to 8,957. That is an increase of 633 (+7.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,263 to #3,859.
What does the Census say about the background of Camara?
Among Census respondents with the surname Camara, the largest self-reported group is Black at 41.6%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Hispanic (12.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Camara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.6% (3,726 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Camara appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (41.6%), White (37.9%), Hispanic (12.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Camara (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Camara mean?
A Portuguese and Galician surname referring to a person who lived in or near a small chamber or room. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Camara (3.00 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Camara?
You can see how many people are called Camara on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.