Explore the Family Name Camel
The meaning of Camel
1. English (of Norman origin) and French: nickname from Norman French came(i)l ‘camel’ (from Latin camelus, classical Greek kamēlos), possibly denoting a clumsy person or someone with long legs. It may also be a topographic or habitational name referring to a house with a sign depicting a camel (although surnames derived from house and inn signs are rare in English); compare 5 below. 2. English: possibly a habitational name from Queen Camel and West Camel in Somerset, early recorded as Camel(le), possibly a Celtic name from canto- ‘border, district’ and mēl ‘bare hill’. 3. English: variant of Campbell from an assimilated pronunciation. 4. Americanized form of German Keimel. 5. Americanized form of German Camehl, Kamehl, or Kämmel, cognates of 1 above, applied as a habitational name referring to a house distinguished by the sign of a camel, a common house sign in Central Europe in the later Middle Ages. Some characteristic forenames: French Andre, Napoleon, Patrice.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Camel in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Camel has seen a slight decrease in popularity between the years 2000 and 2010, moving from rank 26,493 to 26,630, marking a -0.52% change. However, the count of individuals with this surname saw a mild increase of 5.66%, going from 866 to 915 within the same decade. The proportion per 100,000 people also experienced a minor drop of -3.12%, indicating that while the absolute number of people with the surname Camel has increased, its overall prevalence compared to other surnames has slightly declined.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #26,493 | #26,630 | -0.52% |
| Count | 866 | 915 | 5.66% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.32 | 0.31 | -3.12% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Camel
Regarding ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals several changes between 2000 and 2010. There was a marked rise in the percentage of those identifying as two or more races and American Indian and Alaskan Native, which increased by 58.26% and 51.52% respectively. A slight increase was observed among whites (from 32.56% to 32.68%) and Hispanics (from 7.74% to 8.31%). In contrast, the percentage of Blacks with the surname Camel decreased by 6.95% during the same period. Surprisingly, there was no reported Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity in 2000, but it rose to 0.55% in 2010. It's worth noting that some data may have been suppressed (S) for privacy reasons.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 54.97% | 51.15% | -6.95% |
| White | 32.56% | 32.68% | 0.37% |
| Hispanic | 7.74% | 8.31% | 7.36% |
| Two or More Races | 2.42% | 3.83% | 58.26% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 2.31% | 3.5% | 51.52% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.55% | 0% |