Campbell
A great Scottish clan surname, traditionally linked to a Gaelic phrase meaning “crooked mouth.”
The #47 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 800 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Campbell is usually explained from Scottish Gaelic as a nickname for someone with a bent or crooked mouth, often given as cam beul, literally “crooked mouth.” The surname became especially prominent in Scotland as the name of a major clan, and English writers long treated it as distinctly Scottish. Some older scholarship proposed a different origin from an ancient Brittonic or Gaulish name, but the Gaelic explanation is the one most commonly accepted today.
History
The Campbells rose to major importance in western Scotland, especially Argyll, and the name became one of the most familiar Scottish surnames. In English-language sources of the 19th century it is routinely discussed as a hallmark Scottish clan name. The surname spread widely through migration, especially to North America and other parts of the English-speaking world.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
By the 20th century, Campbell was so strongly associated with Scotland that writers used it as a shorthand example of a Scottish clan surname.
From the historical record
“very frequently in Scotland Smith is a translation of the synonymous Gaelic Gow, Gowan, and Caird: — In Glasgow every 130th person is a Campbell, every 129th a Wilson, every 128th a Robertson ; 1 in every 125 is a Miller, 1 in 124 a Thomson; 1 in 121 answers to Brown, while Smith easily takes premier place with 1…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Campbell
- Naomi Campbell (b. 1970)
- Kim Campbell (b. 1947)
- Joseph Campbell (1904–1987)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.