2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Camell
An occupational surname derived from the Old French word "camel", referring to one who worked with camels or camel drivers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Camell. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Camell 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 Camell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Camell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Camell, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (8.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Camell
The surname Camell has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "camel," which referred to a merchant or trader who dealt in Eastern goods, particularly camels. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been merchants or traders involved in the importation of goods from the East.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Camell can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a certain William Camel is listed as a resident of Norfolk. This document was a survey of landowners and their holdings, indicating that the Camell family had already established themselves in England by that time.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Camel, Camell, and Camelle, reflecting the evolving nature of English surnames during that period. One notable example is John Camell, who was born in Somerset in 1370 and served as a member of the English Parliament in 1399.
The Camell surname also has connections to several place names in England. For instance, there is a village called Camel in Cornwall, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in that region. Additionally, the town of Camelsdale in West Sussex may have derived its name from an early resident bearing the Camell surname.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Camell have achieved notable recognition. One such figure was Thomas Camell (1610-1675), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Master of Uppingham School and later became the Rector of Bamburgh in Northumberland.
Another prominent individual was Sir Benjamin Camell (1638-1708), an English merchant and politician who served as the Sheriff of London in 1685 and was later knighted for his services to the Crown. His son, Thomas Camell (1669-1738), followed in his footsteps and became a successful merchant and member of the British Parliament.
In the 19th century, the Camell surname gained further prominence with the work of Sir William Camell (1815-1892), a British diplomat and Orientalist who served as the Consul-General in Egypt and published several works on Arabic literature and culture.
Finally, one cannot overlook the contributions of the British botanist and plant collector, Samuel Camell (1637-1715), who is credited with introducing numerous plant species to Europe from the West Indies and South America during his travels as a ship's surgeon.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Camell
Among Census respondents with the surname Camell, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (8.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Camell 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 Camell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.9% · 67
- Black or African American25.5% · 28
- Two or more races8.2% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Camell
Camell 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+5 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,441 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,006 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 4,441 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 1,006 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 Camell 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 | #150,452 | #149,446 | 0.7% |
| Count | 109 | 110 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Camell bearers went from 109 to 110 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 1,006 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #149,446.
FAQ
Camell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Camell?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Camell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Camell?
Camell ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Camell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Camell.
Has Camell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Camell went from 109 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Camell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Camell, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (8.2%). 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 Camell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.9% (67 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Camell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.9%), Black (25.5%), Two or More Races (8.2%). 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 Camell (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 Camell mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Old French word "camel", referring to one who worked with camels or camel drivers. 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 Camell (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 Americans have the surname Camell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.