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

Kamps, 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 Kamps surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kamps in America

Kamps is the 16444th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kamps surname appeared 1,749 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 Kamps.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kamps 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 Kamps

The surname Kamps originated in Germany, specifically in the northern and western regions of the country. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "kamp," which means "a field" or "a piece of enclosed land." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or owned a field or an enclosed area of land.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Kamps can be traced back to the 13th century in various regional records and documents from areas such as Westphalia and Lower Saxony. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Kamps, who was mentioned in a document from the city of Münster in 1287.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various forms and spellings, including Kampe, Kampen, and Kamp, reflecting the regional variations in language and dialects. Some of these variations were also influenced by place names, such as the town of Kampen in the province of Overijssel, Netherlands.

In the 16th century, the name Kamps was mentioned in the records of the city of Osnabrück, where it referred to a family of merchants and landowners. One notable member of this family was Heinrich Kamps, who served as a city councilor in Osnabrück in the late 1500s.

Another significant figure bearing the surname Kamps was Johann Kamps, a Lutheran theologian and reformer who lived in the 16th century. He was born in Dortmund in 1516 and played a prominent role in the Reformation movement in the region.

During the 17th century, the name Kamps appeared in various records from the Duchy of Cleves, a historical territory located in present-day Germany and the Netherlands. One notable bearer of the name from this region was Gerhard Kamps, who was born in Wesel in 1623 and served as a magistrate and local official.

In the 18th century, the surname Kamps was found in records from the Prussian province of Westphalia, where it was associated with families involved in agriculture and land ownership. One notable figure from this period was Friedrich Wilhelm Kamps, a landowner and farmer who was born in Münster in 1742.

Throughout the 19th century, the surname Kamps continued to be prevalent in various regions of Germany, particularly in the northwestern areas. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Carl Kamps, a German painter and artist who was born in Düsseldorf in 1818 and gained recognition for his landscape paintings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kamps

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

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

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

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