NameCensus.

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.

98% boys
Boys40,394 (98.2%)Girls741 (1.8%)

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

BoysGirls
08132K2K3K199620102024

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.

Scotland
117
Northern Ireland
11

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

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.