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Campbell Family History

Campbell Surname Meaning

Scottish: nickname from Gaelic cam ‘crooked bent’ + beul ‘mouth’. As a result of folk etymology the surname was often represented in Latin documents as de bello campo ‘of the fair field’ which led to the name sometimes being ‘translated’ into Anglo-Norman French as Beauchamp.

Irish (North Armagh): adopted for Gaelic Mac Cathmhaoil ‘son of Cathmhaol’ (literally ‘battle chief’): see Caulfield and Cowell.

English: variant of Camel under the influence of the Scottish name (see 1 above).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Campbell family from?

You can see how Campbell families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Campbell family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Campbell families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 676 Campbell families living in New York. This was about 15% of all the recorded Campbell's in USA. New York had the highest population of Campbell families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Campbell surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Campbell ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Campbell. 15% of Campbell men worked as a Laborer and 6% of Campbell women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Campbell were Truck Driver and Housekeeper.

View Census Data for Campbell | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    15%
  • Farmer
    14%
  • Salesman
    5%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    6%
  • Housewife
    6%
  • Maid
    6%
  • Housekeeper
    6%

What Campbell family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 2 million census records available for the last name Campbell. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Campbell census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Campbell

Passenger Lists

There are 451,000 immigration records available for the last name Campbell. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Campbell immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 449,000 military records available for the last name Campbell. For the veterans among your Campbell ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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