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

Camden, 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 Camden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Camden in America

Camden is the 9954th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Camden surname appeared 3,243 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Camden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Camden 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 Camden

The surname Camden is of English origin, deriving from the place name Camden Town, a district in northwest London. The name Camden itself is believed to have originated from the Old English words "camb" meaning crooked and "dun" meaning hill, referring to the area's geographical features.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Camden can be traced back to the 16th century, when it was commonly spelled as "Cambden" or "Camdene". One of the most notable figures associated with this name is William Camden (1551-1623), an English antiquarian, historian, and topographer who is best known for his work "Britannia", a comprehensive survey of the British Isles.

Another historical figure bearing the surname Camden was John Camden Neild (1780-1852), an English banker and philanthropist who played a significant role in the establishment of Queen's College, Cambridge.

In the 18th century, the name Camden gained prominence with Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden (1714-1794), a British lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain from 1766 to 1770. His grandson, George Charles Camden, 3rd Earl Camden (1805-1866), was a British peer and politician.

Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Camden in America was Samuel Camden (1628-1699), an English Quaker who immigrated to colonial Pennsylvania and became a prominent landowner and public servant.

Other notable individuals with the surname Camden include James Camden Nield (1776-1857), an English civil engineer and inventor, and Caleb Camden (1779-1858), an American military officer who served in the War of 1812.

While the surname Camden has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with descendants bearing this name found in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Camden

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

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

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

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