Show ContentsCamas Surname History

Early Origins of the Camas family

The surname Camas was first found in Huntingdonshire. "The links between the Conqueror's companion in arms and the first recorded ancestor of the baronial house of Camoys have not been ascertained. We cannot ascend in the genealogy to a more remote period than that of the third Henry, when we find Ralph de Camois restored to certain lands in Huntingdonshire, which had been seized upon by the crown in the preceding reign, owing to his participation in the rebellion of the barons. From him derived Sir Thomas de Camoys, of Broadwater, in Surrey, Knight Banneret, an eminent warrior of the times of Richard II., Henry IV., and Henry V., who commanded the left wing of the English army at Azincourt, and for his services on that occasion was honoured with the Garter. He had received summonses to Parliament as Baron Camoys, from the 7th Richard II. to the 8th Henry V. " 1

Early History of the Camas family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Camas research. Another 145 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1510, 1543, 1600, 1614, 1617, 1641, 1648, 1658, 1673, 1678, 1688, 1689, 1702, 1713, 1715, 1716, 1734 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Camas History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Camas Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Kenys, Kemeys, Kemish, Kemis, Keymich, Camois and many more.

Early Notables of the Camas family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Charles Kemeys (c.1614-1658), second child of the Kemeys Baronets, a Welsh family of landowners in the county of Monmouthshire, Wales; William Kemeys was High Sheriff of the County of Monmouth in 1678, and listed in Blome's List of Monmouthshire Gentry in...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Camas Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Camas migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Camas or a variant listed above:

Camas Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Antoine Camas, aged 41, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 2
Camas Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Hernando De Camas, who landed in America in 1813 2
  • George Frederick Camas, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 2
  • Johanna Maria Camas, aged 7, who arrived in New York, NY in 1848 2


  1. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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