Campbell
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.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Campbell peaked in the 2000s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
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.
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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