2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Campain
A surname potentially derived from the French word "campagne" meaning countryside or rural area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Campain. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Campain 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Campain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Campain, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.7%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Campain
The surname CAMPAIN is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "campaine," which means "open field" or "countryside." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived or worked in a rural or agricultural area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name CAMPAIN can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "de Campania," indicating that the bearer was originally from the region of Champagne in northern France.
In the 13th century, a knight named Sir Robert de Campain was documented as serving under King Edward I during the Welsh Wars. He was granted lands in Shropshire, England, for his loyalty and bravery on the battlefield.
During the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname CAMPAIN was Jean de Campain, a wealthy merchant and landowner from the city of Lille in northern France. He was instrumental in establishing trade routes and markets for textile goods, contributing to the region's economic prosperity.
In the 16th century, a French explorer named Jacques Campain is recorded as having accompanied the famous navigator Jacques Cartier on his voyages to the New World. He is believed to have been among the first Europeans to set foot on the shores of what is now Canada.
Another notable bearer of the name CAMPAIN was Sir William Campain, an English soldier and politician who lived during the 17th century. He served as a Member of Parliament and played a key role in the English Civil War, fighting on the side of the Parliamentarians against King Charles I.
Throughout history, variations of the surname CAMPAIN have included spellings such as Campain, Campagne, Campane, and Campana, reflecting the different regional dialects and language influences where the name was found.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Campain
Among Census respondents with the surname Campain, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.7%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Campain 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 Campain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.2% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino28.7% · 33
- Two or more races6.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Campain
Campain 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
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,605 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+6 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,695 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 6,605 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.5%) | Up 4,695 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 Campain 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 | #145,757 | 3.1% |
| Count | 109 | 115 | 5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Campain bearers went from 109 to 115 (+5.5% change). The surname moved up 4,695 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #145,757.
FAQ
Campain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Campain?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Campain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Campain?
Campain ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Campain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Campain.
Has Campain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Campain went from 109 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 6 (+5.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Campain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Campain, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.7%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Campain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.2% (75 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Campain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.2%), Hispanic (28.7%), Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Campain (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 Campain mean?
A surname potentially derived from the French word "campagne" meaning countryside or rural area. 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 Campain (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 people have the last name Campain?
If you just want to know how common the surname Campain is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.