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

Cambray, 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 Cambray surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cambray in America

Cambray is the 47878th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cambray surname appeared 442 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 Cambray.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cambray 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 Cambray

The surname Cambray originated in the Picardy region of northern France, deriving from the town of Cambrai. The name is believed to have emerged in the Middle Ages, likely during the 11th or 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Gallo-Roman word "Cameracum," which referred to a vaulted or arched building, potentially describing a feature of the town's architecture.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Cambrai." This entry suggests that individuals bearing this surname may have been among the Norman settlers who accompanied William the Conqueror to England during the Norman Conquest in 1066.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named Robert de Cambray served as the Archbishop of Glasgow from 1292 to 1295. Additionally, a record from 1379 mentions a John Cambray who was a merchant and alderman in the city of London.

During the 15th century, the Cambray family held significance in Norfolk, England, with William Cambray (born around 1420) serving as the High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1477. His son, also named William Cambray (born circa 1450), followed in his footsteps and held the same position in 1502.

In the 16th century, a notable individual named Jacques de Cambray (1510-1560) gained recognition as a French Renaissance poet and translator. He is best known for his translations of ancient Greek and Latin works into French.

The name Cambray has also been associated with various place names throughout history. For instance, the town of Cambrai in northern France, from which the surname is derived, was known by various spellings such as Cameracum, Camaracum, and Cambray in different historical periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cambray

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

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 Cambray 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 Cambray 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 Cambray was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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