UK name, mostly boys
Cameron
Derived from Scottish Gaelic "cam-shron" meaning curved or crooked nose.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Cameron is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Cameron popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #216, with 228 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1999, with 3,181 births.
This profile covers 40,394 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 7% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 54,427 living people in the UK are called Cameron. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Cameron ranked #216 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 228 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1999, when 3,181 boys were registered as Cameron.
- • Cameron ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #33 in 2024.
- • About 54,427 living people in the UK are estimated to have Cameron as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 98.2% of Cameron registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#216
2024
Births in 2024
228
Latest year
Peak year
1999
3,181 births
Estimated living
54,427
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Cameron
In England and Wales birth records, Cameron has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 98.2% of registrations are for boys and 1.8% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Cameron registered for boys
- Ranked #216 in 2024
- 228 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 1999 (3,181 births)
Cameron registered for girls
- Ranked #4,843 in 2024
- 4 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2001 (74 births)
Meaning
What does Cameron mean?
The name Cameron has its origins in the Gaelic language, which was spoken in Scotland and parts of Ireland. It is derived from the Gaelic word "cam-shron," which means "crooked nose" or "bent nose." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone with a distinctive nasal feature.
In the Middle Ages, the name Cameron was often associated with the Scottish clan Cameron, which traced its roots back to the 13th century. The Camerons were a influential clan in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Lochaber and Argyll. Their ancestral lands were located around Loch Lochy and Loch Arkaig.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cameron is found in the early 14th century, when a man named Sir John Cameron is mentioned in historical records as a supporter of Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Another notable early bearer of the name was Sir Donald Cameron of Lochiel, who lived from around 1618 to 1677 and was the 13th Chief of the Clan Cameron.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Cameron. These include the 17th-century Scottish soldier Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel (1629-1719), who fought for the Jacobite cause during the Glorious Revolution and the 1715 Jacobite Rising. Another prominent figure was the Canadian politician and judge Sir Matthew Crooks Cameron (1822-1887), who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons and as the Chief Justice of Ontario.
In the realm of literature, the Scottish novelist and playwright Charles Cameron (1841-1924) was a prolific author of his time, known for works such as "The Crucifixion of Philip Strong" and "The Autobiography of a Butterfly." The name also has associations with the arts, as exemplified by the American actor Cameron Mitchell (1918-1994), who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career.
The name Cameron has also been carried by several notable figures in the world of sports. For example, the Canadian ice hockey player Cameron Frye (1902-1979) played for the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League during the 1920s and 1930s. More recently, the American professional basketball player Cameron Johnson (born 1996) currently plays for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Cameron over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Cameron in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Cameron, the clearest high point is 1999. The latest England and Wales figure is 228 births in 2024, compared with 3,181 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cameron by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Cameron was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #199 | 1,303 | 5 |
| 2010s | #125 | 5,812 | 10 |
| 2000s | #32 | 23,421 | 10 |
| 1990s | #33 | 9,858 | 4 |
Geography
Where Cameron is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Cameron. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Cameron ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #33 in 2024.
Across the UK
Cameron in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#33 in 2024
51 years of NRS records, 13,259 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#187 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 1,312 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Cameron
-
Cameron Winnett
rugby union player
Welsh rugby union player
2003-
-
Cameron Wilson
association football player
English footballer
2002-
-
Cameron Ballantyne
association football player
football player
2000-
-
Cameron Yates
association football player
Scottish footballer
1999-
-
Cameron MacPherson
association football player
association football player
1998-
-
Cameron Wake
cricketer
English cricketer (born 1985)
1985-
-
Cameron Wright
engineer; physicist
Welsh scientist
1901-1979
Related
Names similar to Cameron
- Charlie 104,761
- Callum 65,796
- Connor 53,072
- Charles 33,091
- Christopher 26,849
- Caleb 15,553
- Corey 12,622
- Carter 11,505
- Cody 11,075
- Conor 10,298
- Christian 9,695
- Cole 8,762
FAQ
Cameron: questions and answers
How popular is the name Cameron in the UK right now?
In 2024, Cameron was ranked #216 for boys in England and Wales, with 228 births registered.
When was Cameron most popular?
The peak year on record was 1999, with 3,181 babies registered as Cameron in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Cameron?
Derived from Scottish Gaelic "cam-shron" meaning curved or crooked nose.
How many people are called Cameron in the UK?
A total of 40,394 babies have been registered as Cameron across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 13,259 more in Scotland and 1,312 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Cameron most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Cameron ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #33 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.