unisex name
Camille
ka-MEEY
- Origin French
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (France)
- Births on record 386,266
the United States
#240
2025 births
Camille is a unisex name of Latin origin, from a Roman word for a young attendant at religious ceremonies. It ranks sixty-first in France, where it is used for both sexes, and 240th in the United States, where it is almost entirely feminine.
- Camille is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1998, when 7,965 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 379 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Camille over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 21,310 |
| 1910s | 17,335 |
| 1920s | 17,610 |
| 1930s | 9,930 |
| 1940s | 5,390 |
| 1950s | 3,320 |
| 1960s | 2,155 |
| 1970s | 3,925 |
| 1980s | 28,385 |
| 1990s | 72,485 |
| 2000s | 58,235 |
| 2010s | 40,290 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 12,320 |
What Camille means
Camille means a young ceremonial attendant. The Latin camillus denoted a freeborn boy or girl who assisted a priest at sacrifices, so the word describes a role rather than a quality.
Where Camille comes from
Camille descends from the Roman cognomen Camillus, from a word for an acolyte who served at religious rites. Its most famous ancient bearer is Marcus Furius Camillus, called the second founder of Rome after retaking the city from the Gauls. In French the name serves both sexes and has done for centuries; Camille Claudel the sculptor and Camille Saint-Saens the composer are the standard illustrations. English took it as feminine only, largely through the play and opera known as Camille, based on Dumas's La Dame aux camelias — the camellia flower being unrelated to the name, which is a coincidence of sound that has confused the two ever since.
Camille in use
Camille ranks sixty-first in France with about 1,555 births in 2025 and is recorded in our data as unisex, matching French usage. In the United States, where it sits at 240, it is used almost entirely for girls. Our records hold more than 371,000 births and carry the name from 1880, with a peak as recent as 2012, so it is a long-established name currently near its high point rather than in revival.
How popular is Camille?
In 2025, Camille was given to 1,555 babies in France, ranking #61 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Camille is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Camille
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Camille also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Camille over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Camille
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.
Camille 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 Camille
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Camille — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Camille
What does the name Camille mean?
Camille means "a young ceremonial attendant," from the Latin camillus.
Is Camille a boy's or a girl's name?
Both in France, where it is genuinely unisex. In the United States it is used almost entirely for girls.
Is Camille related to the camellia flower?
No. The resemblance is coincidental, though La Dame aux camelias has linked them in English minds.
How do you pronounce Camille?
ka-MEEY, with the final syllable like the y in yes.
How popular is the name Camille?
In 2025, Camille was given to 1,555 babies in France, ranking #61 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Camille?
Camille has 2 syllables.
When was Camille most popular?
Camille peaked in 1998, when 7,965 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Camille?
Camille is usually shortened to Cam and Cami.
Is Camille a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Camille currently ranks #61 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.