2000
#62,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Camby
French surname derived from a place name meaning "bent" or "crooked."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 320 Americans carry the last name Camby. That puts it at #74,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,071,107 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Camby 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
320
1 in 1,071,107
Census rank
#74,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
279
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 279 bearers of the surname Camby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 74639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Camby, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.1%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Camby
The surname CAMBY has its origins in France, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "cambe," which referred to a bend or curve, likely describing a person who lived near a winding river or a curved path.
The name was initially concentrated in the northern regions of France, particularly in the areas around Paris and Normandy. Early records show variations in spelling, such as Cambie, Cambier, and Cambay, reflecting the fluid nature of surnames during that period.
One of the earliest documented references to the CAMBY name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a collection of charters from the 12th century. This manuscript mentions a certain "Robertus de Cambia" in 1184, who may have been a landowner or a notable figure in the region.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the Testa de Nevill, a survey of landholdings in England and Wales. This document records a "William de Camby" as a tenant in the county of Lincolnshire, suggesting that the name had spread to England through migration or Norman influence.
Notable individuals with the CAMBY surname include:
1. Jean de Camby (c. 1415-1480), a French diplomat and cleric who served as the Bishop of Toul from 1467 until his death.
2. Philippe de Camby (c. 1540-1615), a French military engineer and architect who worked on fortifications in various cities across France.
3. Antoine de Camby (c. 1600-1675), a French nobleman and landowner who held significant estates in the Normandy region.
4. Jacques de Camby (c. 1680-1745), a French artist known for his landscapes and portraiture, particularly of members of the French nobility.
5. Marie-Thérèse de Camby (1728-1803), a French writer and salonnière who hosted influential literary gatherings in Paris during the Enlightenment era.
Throughout its history, the CAMBY surname has also been associated with various place names in France, such as Cambray, Cambrai, and Cambeville, reflecting the geographic roots of the name's bearers. While the surname has spread globally over the centuries, its French origins and early recorded instances provide a rich tapestry of historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Camby
Among Census respondents with the surname Camby, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.1%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Camby 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 Camby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.0% · 187
- Black or African American21.1% · 59
- Two or more races6.8% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Camby
Camby 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
#64,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 308
+9 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 1,982 places
2020
#74,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 279
-29 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 10,080 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #62,577 | 299 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #64,559 | 308 | 0.10 | +9 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 1,982 places |
| 2020 | #74,639 | 279 | 0.09 | -29 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 10,080 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 Camby 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 | #64,559 | #74,639 | -15.6% |
| Count | 308 | 279 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.09 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Camby bearers went from 308 to 279 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 10,080 positions in the national ranking, going from #64,559 to #74,639.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Camby
FAQ
Camby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Camby?
Name Census estimates that about 320 living Americans carry the surname Camby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,071,107 residents.
How common is Camby?
Camby ranks #74,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 279 people with the surname Camby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (320), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Camby.
Has Camby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Camby went from 308 recorded bearers to 279. That is a decrease of 29 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #64,559 to #74,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Camby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Camby, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.1%) and Two or More Races (6.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Camby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.0% (187 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Camby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.0%), Black (21.1%), Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Camby (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 Camby mean?
French surname derived from a place name meaning "bent" or "crooked." 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 Camby (0.09 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 Americans have the surname Camby?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.