Campbell (surname)

This article is about the surname Campbell. For other uses, see Campbell (disambiguation).
Campbell
Family name

Campbell surname map
Region of origin Scotland
Footnotes: Frequency Comparisons:[1]

Campbell is primarily a Scottish surname of Gaelic origins.

In Scotland, the name itself derives from two Scottish Gaelic words. "Cam" and "Béal" meaning "Crooked mouth" or "wry-mouthed", originally a nickname which over time became used as a surname.[2]

Campbell is the third most common surname in Northern Ireland, fourth most common in Jamaica, seventh most common in Scotland, 12th most common in Canada, 18th most common in Australia, 41st most common in the United States and 65th most common in England.[1]

The most common Irish derivation is from the surname Mac Cathmhaoil. Descendants of a famous war-leader named Cathmhaoil took the surname, and was often pronounced as "Cammle". This coincidentally was the same pronunciation as the Scottish surname "Campbell". From this Irish surname, a number of derivations were arrived including MacCawill, McCaul, MacCall, Caulfield, and of course Campbell.[3]

Notable persons named Campbell

Military and politics

Sports

Television and film

Music, art, and literature

Science and education

Other

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Campbell Surname Meaning and Distribution". forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2014
  2. ↑ Partick Woulfe (March 2010). Irish Names and Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Com. ISBN 978-0-8063-0381-9. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  3. ↑ Alastair Campbell (September 2000). A history of Clan Campbell. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 5–. ISBN 978-1-902930-17-6. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
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