Camilo
Meaning
“Spanish form of Camillus, a Roman family name for a ceremonial attendant”
The story
Camilo descends from Camillus, the Roman family name given to highborn boys who assisted at the altar, the same root that gives Spanish Camila and French Camille. For most of the twentieth century the name lived mainly in Latin America. Cuba remembers Camilo Cienfuegos, the revolutionary commander who remains a national icon, and Colombia produced the modern standard-bearer in the singer Camilo, whose run of Latin Grammy wins made the name a soundtrack fixture for young families. In the US it tracked Spanish-speaking communities quietly for decades, then caught real momentum as Camila boomed; the two names rise together, sister first, brother close behind. US records show Camilo at its most current in the 2010s and 2020s in nearly equal measure, and still climbing year over year this decade. Its owner gets the full formal name plus the warmth built into that -ilo ending.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Camilo peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
12,321 people · the #1,477 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 16,393 · median age 42
Among people named Camilo living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 259 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Camilo
Most people given the name Camilo in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Camilo deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Camilo truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Camilo fits with your family’s names and surname.
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