Campbell
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Meaning
“Scottish clan surname, from Gaelic 'cam' (crooked) and 'beul' (mouth)”
The story
Campbell wears its meaning with a grin: from the Scottish surname, Gaelic cam beul, crooked mouth, a clan nickname that Behind the Name's surname records say was dressed up in Latin documents as de bello campo, of the fair field, a medieval spin job worth telling at dinner. As a first name it ran quietly among American boys for a century, rarely past a couple hundred a decade. Then the 2000s changed its shape: about 2,960 girls arrived that decade against about 1,560 boys, and the name has run genuinely unisex since, easing on both sides so far this decade. A surname name with a sense of humor about itself and a genuinely split record, equally at home on a daughter or a son.
How popular is Campbell around the world?
In the United States, 2,950 babies were named Campbell between 2020 and 2025. In Scotland, 19 boys named Campbell were registered in 2024, the 218th most common name among boys that year.
Campbell is on the official records of the United States, Scotland, South Australia, Canada and England and Wales.
United States
1 in 7,400
In the United States, 2,950 babies were named Campbell between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Campbell peaked in the 2000s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure. In 2025 Campbell went to 474 girls and 337 boys in the US Social Security record, one of the few names given to girls and boys in nearly equal numbers.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Scotland
1 in 2,400
In Scotland, 19 boys named Campbell were registered in 2024, the 218th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
South Australia
1 in 6,1002017
In South Australia, 3 boys were registered as Campbell in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Canada
1 in 17,000
In Canada, 16 boys named Campbell were born in 2024, ranked 1,390th among boys that year.
In Canada, 5 girls named Campbell were born in 2024, ranked 3,457th among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
England and Wales
1 in 49,000
In England and Wales, 12 boys named Campbell were born in 2025, ranked 2,014th among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Argentina
last on record 2018
Campbell is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
New Zealand
last on record 2016
Campbell is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Puerto Rico, Ireland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Campbell
Most people given the name Campbell 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.
Keep exploring
The Campbell deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Campbell 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 Campbell fits with your family’s names and surname.
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