2000
#9,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,059
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Camden
From an English place name meaning "enclosed valley" or "winding valley," derived from the Old English elements "cumb" and "denu."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,524 Americans carry the last name Camden. That puts it at #10,014 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,263 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Camden 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Camden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,263
Census rank
#10,014
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,073 bearers of the surname Camden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10014th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Camden, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Camden
Among Census respondents with the surname Camden, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Camden 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 Camden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 2,733
- Two or more races5.5% · 170
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 38
- Black or African American0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Camden
Camden 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
#9,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,243
+184 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 202 places
2020
#10,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,073
-170 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,752 | 3,059 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,954 | 3,243 | 1.10 | +184 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 202 places |
| 2020 | #10,014 | 3,073 | 1.03 | -170 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 60 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 Camden 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 | #9,954 | #10,014 | -0.6% |
| Count | 3,243 | 3,073 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.03 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Camden bearers went from 3,243 to 3,073 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,954 to #10,014.
FAQ
Camden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Camden?
Name Census estimates that about 3,524 living Americans carry the surname Camden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,263 residents.
How common is Camden?
Camden ranks #10,014 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,073 people with the surname Camden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,524), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Camden.
Has Camden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Camden went from 3,243 recorded bearers to 3,073. That is a decrease of 170 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,954 to #10,014.
What does the Census say about the background of Camden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Camden, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Camden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (2,733 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Camden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Two or More Races (5.5%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Camden (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 Camden mean?
From an English place name meaning "enclosed valley" or "winding valley," derived from the Old English elements "cumb" and "denu." 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 Camden (1.03 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 Camden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.