The baby name Camden reads like a cross between Cameron and London.
Thanks to Tracy for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
THE MEANING OF THE NAME CAMDEN
The baby name Camden started out as a place name. It lost a letter along the way, too. Campden came from camp – enclosure – plus den – valley.
Visit the Cotswolds – the quintessential England of rolling countryside and picturesque villages – to find Chipping Camden. Created as a market town in the 1100s, it’s well-preserved today, once a significant place in the wool trade and now popular with visitors. Chipping comes from an Old English word meaning market.
In the 1700s, politician Charles Pratt was given the title Earl Camden. The area of London known as Camden Town – or just Camden – was named for his title. (The title, in turn, came from Pratt’s family estate, Camden Place.) Because of a key location on the canals and then the rail lines, the area has always bustled with activity. It’s now part of the London Borough of Camden.
But it’s not just commercial activity. Camden has long been a center for bohemian and creative life in London. It’s been home to everyone from Madness to Mary Shelley, Charles Dickens to Oasis. George Orwell and Dylan Thomas lived in the area around the same time. The Camden Markets – there are half a dozen – draw tens of thousands of visitors every weekend, selling everything from music to mirrors. You can watch Kate Winslet walk around the area in her famous ad for American Express.
LONDON to the US
As it happens, Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, would prove popular in the American Colonies. He opposed British tax policy overseas, making him quite popular with the fledgling nation. As a result, over a dozen places in the US are named Camden, several directly for Pratt.
Camden, New Jersey might be the best known. It’s the biggest city in the US by the name, home to a busy port. The city has struggled in recent decades, which might’ve hurt the name’s image. But plenty of other Camdens shape the our perception of the name, too.
LAST NAME TURNED FIRST NAME
The baby name Camden carries a long history as a place name and surname. Naturally it appears in the name data, too, in small numbers as early as 1915.
It took until the year 1990 for Camden to crack the US Top 1000, though.
What put it there?
- It followed Scottish surname Cameron into greater use, another way to get to friendly nickname Cam.
- Long-running WB series 7th Heaven featured the Camden family from 1996 into 2007.
- In 1992, Camden Yards opened in Baltimore, home of the Baltimore Orioles.
- And, of course, the 1990s were a good moment for place names and two-syllable boy names ending with N.
In 2012, Nick and Vanessa Lachey welcomed a son named Camden. Their choice was inspired by a Los Angeles street name. Around the same time, Kristin Cavallari and Jay Sparks also welcomed their first together – also a son named Camden.
The one-two punch took this already rising name and landed it in the US Top 100, at #99, in 2013.
HOW POPULAR IS THE BABY NAME CAMDEN?
Since peaking in 2013, the baby name Camden has slowly drifted into more sparing use. But as of 2023, it still ranks a healthy #181. That’s comparable to Finn, Maxwell, or Zachary.
MODERN MAINSTAY
Call the baby name Camden a modern mainstay.
It may have rocketed into the rankings, a 1990 debut that no one expected to climb so high. But after thirty years of steady use, the baby name Camden sounds like a strong, reliable name for a son. We associate Camden just barely with London and Baltimore, a name that’s equal parts creative and athletic. And friendly nickname Cam suits nearly any personality.
Now that the name is no longer barreling up the charts, it’s a good choice for parents seeking something current that’s (probably) not the next big thing. It’s a little less expected than Ryan, but not as new as Dutton. That probably hits a sweet spot for plenty of families.
What do you think of the baby name Camden?
First published on February 28, 2011, this post was revised substantially and republished on August 26, 2024.
I think Cam is a ridiculously cute nickname for a girl or a boy! There’s a beautiful town in Maine named Camden, so points for that!
I am so happy to stumble onto this site. I named my son Camden in 2003, not because of any association to New Jersey or London or 7th Heaven but because I found it in a baby name book while looking for Scottish/Celtic names. I liked Cameron at the time but it was becoming too popular. People frequently ask if I named him after the baseball field, while cocking their head to the side and offering a sarcastic “really” expression. But my son IS a Camden and he is fantastic. It is interesting that two stars just had baby boys and named them Camden–Kristen Cavallari and Vanessa Miinnillo-Lachey. 🙂
I know a very stylish Camden in his late 20s. It wears well! And yes, how ’bout that double Camden?!
Meh. Honestly, Camden has kind of a tacky vibe to me. I have known a few Camdens, so this may be one of those names that has jumped the shark already in the South/West where the surname/rugged names have been used longer. I don’t know, I think the easy kre8tive respelling potential doesn’t help at all here. Kamden, Kamdyn, Camdynn….Yep. Not into it.
Caroline, funny you mention the use of the name in the South/West. I grew up in Alabama and have lived in Texas for much of my adult life. Camden sounds dated to me. I’m surprised it is current and trendy. I would have just filed it away in the c. 1990’s bin with Cameron and company.
Totally. I knew Camdens in high school, even. I feel this way about a lot of names-Jackson, Cade, Hunter, Weston, etc. These names definitely had a presence in the Southern states long before they started really climbing the charts nationwide.
I used to have Camden on my favorites list (as a boys’ name) when I was in college.
I can see why it wouldn’t work if you live anywhere near Camden, New Jersey. But otherwise, it’s rather nice-sounding (albeit a bit trendy).
For those of you pooh-poohing it, would it help to know that it’s the GIVEN name of an admirable character in a major work of Victorian literature? Mr. Camden Farebrother is the intelligent, kind-hearted vicar in George Eliot’s Middlemarch.
Ooh, thank you for the Middlemarch reference!
Etymology
From Old English campas (