Find out how popular the last name Camba is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Camba.

Camba, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Camba surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Camba in America

Camba is the 31516th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Camba surname appeared 734 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Camba.

We can also compare 2010 data for Camba to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Camba

The surname Camba originates from the northwestern region of Spain, specifically in the autonomous community of Galicia. Its roots can be traced back to the early medieval period, around the 10th or 11th century.

The name is believed to have derived from the Latin word "cambus," which means "crooked" or "bent." This potentially refers to the geographical features of the area where the surname first appeared, such as winding roads or rivers.

One of the earliest known references to the Camba surname can be found in the Tumbo Viejo de Lugo, a cartulary (collection of charters) from the 11th century. This document contains records of individuals bearing the name Camba, suggesting its presence in the region during that time.

In the 13th century, the Camba surname appears in several medieval manuscripts and records from the Kingdom of Galicia. One notable mention is in the Cartulario de Sobrado, a collection of documents from the Monastery of Sobrado dos Monxes, where a certain Rodrigo Camba is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.

During the 15th century, the Camba surname gained prominence in the city of Santiago de Compostela, a significant religious and cultural center in Galicia. Juan Camba (1420-1495) was a renowned goldsmith and sculptor who contributed to the artistic embellishment of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral.

Another noteworthy figure from the 16th century was Pedro Camba (1510-1588), a Galician nobleman and military commander who served under King Philip II of Spain during the Spanish conquest of Portugal.

In the 18th century, José Camba (1732-1798) was a prominent Galician lawyer and judge who served as a magistrate in the Royal Audiencia of Galicia, the highest court of justice in the region at the time.

The Camba surname has also been associated with several place names in Galicia, such as Camba (a parish in the municipality of Aranga) and Río Camba (a river in the province of Lugo), further reinforcing its deep-rooted connection to the region.

While the surname Camba is predominantly found in Spain, particularly in Galicia, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and emigration over the centuries. However, its origins can be firmly traced back to the northwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula, where it has a rich and storied history spanning several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Camba

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Camba.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Camba was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Camba has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Camba was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Camba, please contact us.

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