girl's name
Camila
kah-MEE-lah
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 129,915
the United States
#19
2025 births
Camila is a girl's name of Latin origin, the Spanish and Portuguese form of Camilla. It comes from camillus, the Roman term for a young attendant who assisted a priest during religious ceremonies, and was borne in Virgil's Aeneid by a warrior queen of the Volsci.
- Camila is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 2020, when 8,171 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 502 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1914.
Camila over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 29 |
| 1920s | 54 |
| 1930s | 16 |
| 1940s | 22 |
| 1950s | 60 |
| 1960s | 114 |
| 1970s | 163 |
| 1980s | 333 |
| 1990s | 1,602 |
| 2000s | 17,580 |
| 2010s | 57,959 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 46,044 |
What Camila means
Camila derives from a Roman word for a young ceremonial attendant, giving it an underlying sense of one who serves at an altar. Its literary association is quite different: Virgil's Camilla is a fast-running warrior, so the name carries both a religious and a martial inheritance.
Where Camila comes from
Camila is the Spanish and Portuguese spelling of Camilla, from the Latin Camilla, feminine of Camillus. In ancient Rome a camillus was a freeborn boy who attended a priest during sacrifices, and the word may itself have been borrowed from Etruscan rather than being native Latin. The name gained literary standing through Virgil's Aeneid, where Camilla is a warrior queen of the Volsci, raised in the wild and famed for running so lightly she could cross a field of grain without bending it. The name spread through Italy and Iberia, and the single-l Camila became the standard form across the Spanish-speaking world.
Camila in use
Camila's two inheritances pull in opposite directions: a temple attendant in Roman religion, a warrior queen in Roman poetry.
How popular is Camila?
In 2025, Camila was given to 6,599 babies in the United States, ranking #19 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Camila is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Camila
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Camila also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Camila over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
4 nicknames for Camila
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Camila in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Camila
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Camila — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Camila
What does the name Camila mean?
Camila comes from the Latin camillus, a young attendant who served a priest at religious ceremonies.
What is the difference between Camila and Camilla?
They are the same name — Camila is the Spanish and Portuguese spelling, Camilla the Latin and Italian form.
Is Camila in the Aeneid?
Virgil's Aeneid features Camilla, a warrior queen of the Volsci, the best-known classical bearer of the name.
How popular is the name Camila?
In 2025, Camila was given to 6,599 babies in the United States, ranking #19 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Camila a girl's or a boy's name?
Camila is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Camila most popular?
Camila peaked in 2020, when 8,171 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Camila?
Camila is usually shortened to Cami, Mila, Cam and Cammy.
Is Camila a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Camila currently ranks #19 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.