Campbell (surname) explained

Campbell
Region:Scotland, Ireland
Footnotes:Frequency comparisons:[1]

Campbell is a Scottish surname —derived from the Gaelic roots cam ("crooked") and beul ("mouth")—that had originated as a nickname meaning "crooked mouth" or "wry mouthed."[2] Clan Campbell, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans, traces its origins to the ancient Britons of Strathclyde.[3] Between 1200 and 1500 the Campbells emerged as one of the most powerful families in Scotland, dominant in Argyll and capable of wielding a wider influence and authority from Edinburgh to the Hebrides and western Highlands.[4]

Today, the name is found throughout the world as a consequence of large scale emigration from Scotland from the 18th century onwards and the settlement of the Scottish diaspora in many countries particularly the United States, Canada and Australia. Due to significant Scottish immigration in the 16th and 17th centuries, the name is also found across the island of Ireland but particularly in Ulster.

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]

Notable persons named Campbell

Several people

A–C

D–H

I–L

M–R

S–Z

Fictional people

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Campbell Surname Meaning and Distribution . forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2014
  2. Book: Partick Woulfe. Irish Names and Surnames. 15 March 2012. March 2010. Genealogical Publishing Company. 978-0-8063-0381-9.
  3. Book: Way . George of Plean . Squire . Romilly of Rubislaw . Romilly Squire of Rubislaw . George Way of Plean . 1994 . Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia . Glasgow. HarperCollins (for the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs) . 0-00-470547-5 . 90–92.
  4. Book: Lynch . Michael . Michael Lynch (historian) . 2011 . Oxford Companion to Scottish History . 64–66 . . 978-0-19-923482-0.