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Campbell Family History

Campbell Name Meaning

Scottish: nickname from Gaelic cam ‘crooked’, ‘bent’ + beul ‘mouth’. 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. In New England documents, Campbell sometimes occurs as a representation of the French name Hamel.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Cambell, Capelle, Castell, Chappell, Cantwell, Carnell, Corbell

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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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 1891 there were 3,849 Campbell families living in Lancashire. This was about 25% of all the recorded Campbell's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Campbell families in 1891.
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.
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What did your Campbell ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Campbell. 10% of Campbell men worked as a General Labourer and 64% of Campbell women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Campbell were Retired and Housewife. .

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 1939

  • General Labourer
    10%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    2%
  • Retired
    2%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    64%
  • Private Means
    4%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

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 Australian 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 Australia, 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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You've only scratched the surface of Campbell family history

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What is the average Campbell lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Campbell life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Campbell in 1940 was 37, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Campbell

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