unisex name
Campbell
KAM-bul
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 15,888
the United States
#617
2025 births
Campbell is a unisex name of Scottish origin meaning "crooked mouth". It is a genuine nickname surname, from the Gaelic cam beul, and belongs to one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans.
- Campbell is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 811 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,088 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1881.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Campbell over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 20 |
| 1890s | 18 |
| 1900s | 17 |
| 1910s | 152 |
| 1920s | 190 |
| 1930s | 95 |
| 1940s | 131 |
| 1950s | 106 |
| 1960s | 93 |
| 1970s | 91 |
| 1980s | 108 |
| 1990s | 890 |
| 2000s | 4,521 |
| 2010s | 4,132 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,950 |
What Campbell means
Campbell means crooked mouth, from the Gaelic cam, crooked or bent, and beul, a mouth. Medieval bynames described people bluntly, and this one stuck to a family that became a dukedom.
Where Campbell comes from
Campbell comes from the Gaelic cam beul, crooked mouth, first recorded of a thirteenth-century ancestor of the clan. The P is a later spelling intrusion, added by scribes who assumed a Latin or French origin — de campo bello, from the beautiful field — which is a false etymology still repeated. Clan Campbell became the dominant power in Argyll and its chiefs the Dukes of Argyll; the massacre at Glencoe in 1692, carried out by Campbell soldiers, kept the name notorious in Highland memory. First-name use is modern and is given to girls as often as boys.
Campbell in use
Campbell appears in our records from 1881 and reached its highest recorded use in 2025.
How popular is Campbell?
In 2025, Campbell was given to 811 babies in the United States, ranking #617 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Campbell 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 Campbell
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Campbell also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Campbell over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Campbell
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.
Campbell 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.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Cambel
Sibling names for Campbell
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Campbell — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Campbell
What does the name Campbell mean?
Crooked mouth, from the Gaelic cam beul. It began as a personal nickname.
Does Campbell mean beautiful field?
No. The de campo bello reading is a false etymology invented by scribes who assumed a Latin origin and added the P.
Is Campbell a boy's or a girl's name?
Both, and used fairly evenly as a first name.
How popular is the name Campbell?
In 2025, Campbell was given to 811 babies in the United States, ranking #617 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Campbell?
Campbell has 2 syllables.
When was Campbell most popular?
Campbell peaked in 2025, when 811 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Campbell?
Campbell is usually shortened to Cam and Camy.
Is Campbell a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Campbell currently ranks #218 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.