2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cambo
A surname thought to derive from a place name referring to a bay or cove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Cambo. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cambo 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.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Cambo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cambo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.3%. The next largest groups are White (33.0%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cambo
The surname Cambo originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "campus," meaning a field or open space. The name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked in a particular field or open area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cambo can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni monastery in Campania, Italy. This document, dated around the 11th century, mentions a person named Petrus de Campo.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the Libro Rosso, a manuscript containing records of the city of Pisa, Italy. Here, a person named Jacobus Cambo is mentioned, indicating the surname's presence in that region during that time.
The name Cambo is also linked to several place names in Italy, such as Campo Calabro in Calabria and Campo Ligure in Liguria. These place names may have influenced the spelling and variations of the surname over time.
One notable bearer of the surname Cambo was Giovanni Cambo, a Renaissance-era Italian architect and sculptor who lived from around 1460 to 1536. He was known for his work on various churches and buildings in Florence, including the Church of Santa Maria Novella.
Another individual with the surname Cambo was Pietro Cambo, a 16th-century Italian painter from Cremona. He was active between 1520 and 1550 and is known for his religious and mythological paintings.
In the 17th century, the name Cambo appears in the records of the Venetian Republic. A merchant named Marco Cambo is mentioned in documents from that era, indicating the surname's presence in Venice during that time.
Another bearer of the surname Cambo was Niccolò Cambo, an Italian philosopher and theologian who lived from 1683 to 1755. He was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time and wrote several works on philosophy and theology.
In the 19th century, the name Cambo was associated with Giuseppe Cambo, an Italian poet and writer who lived from 1821 to 1887. He was known for his romantic poetry and wrote several collections of poems.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Cambo throughout history, demonstrating its Italian origins and presence in various regions and professions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cambo
Among Census respondents with the surname Cambo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.3%. The next largest groups are White (33.0%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cambo 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 Cambo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino62.3% · 66
- White33.0% · 35
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cambo
Cambo 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-11 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 21,397 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,895 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 21,397 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 4,895 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 Cambo 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 | #157,234 | #152,339 | 3.1% |
| Count | 103 | 106 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cambo bearers went from 103 to 106 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 4,895 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #152,339.
FAQ
Cambo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cambo?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Cambo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Cambo?
Cambo ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Cambo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cambo.
Has Cambo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cambo went from 103 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Cambo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cambo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.3%. The next largest groups are White (33.0%) and Black (2.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cambo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.3% (66 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cambo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (62.3%), White (33.0%), Black (2.8%). 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 Cambo (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 Cambo mean?
A surname thought to derive from a place name referring to a bay or cove. 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 Cambo (0.04 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 many people share the surname Cambo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.