Contents [hide]

Camp History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Camp History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Germany

Camp is a local name from the German region of Westphalia. Local names and other types of hereditary surnames began to be used in Germany after the 12th century. They were derived from the name of the place where the original bearer of the name lived. Sometimes local names bear the prefix "von", meaning "of" or "from". This was originally an indication of land-ownership, and was sometimes a mark of aristocracy. The family originally lived on or near a flat area of land which is derived from the Latin word campus, which referred to an enclosed area of flat land. It is also derived from the Latin word champhus, which means battle. Thus, the original bearer originally lived on a flat piece of land, which was either the sight of a great battle or was as level as a battlefield.

Early Origins of the Camp family

The surname Camp was first found in Westphalia, where the family became noted for its many branches within the region, many houses acquiring a status and influence which rivaled that of the landed aristocracy. In their later history some branches were elevated to the ranks of nobility as they distinguished themselves through their contributions to the social, political, and economic developments of the nation.

Early History of the Camp family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Camp research. Another 279 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1163, 1201, 1259, 1272, 1336, 1373, 1380, 1515, 1609, 1660, 1675, 1746, 1747 and 1818 are included under the topic Early Camp History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Camp Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Camp include Camp, Campe, Campen, Camper, Camperer, Campere, Campner, Kamp, Kampe and many more.

Early Notables of the Camp family

Notables of the period with the name Camp were

Johann Heinrich Campe (1746-1818), who was a German educationalist...

Camp Ranking

In the United States, the name Camp is the 1,067^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 1

Camp migration to the United States +

After 1650, thousands of German settlers came to North America to escape the religious persecution and poverty that wracked Europe and to make the most of the opportunity to own their own land in a new country. They settled across the United States in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, and in Canada in Ontario and on the fertile plains of the prairie provinces. Among them:

Camp Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Nicholas Camp who settled in New Haven in 1630
Nicholas Camp, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 2
William Camp, who landed in Maryland in 1657 2
William Camp, who landed in Virginia in 1663 2
Gilbert Camp, who landed in Maryland in 1668 2

Camp Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Camp, who landed in North Carolina in 1748 2
Daniel Camp, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1749 2
Icabod Camp, who arrived in New England in 1752 2
Michael Camp, who landed in South Carolina in 1752 2
Martin Camp, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1765 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Camp Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ellen Camp, who arrived in New York, NY in 1845 2
Christian Camp, who arrived in Iroquois County, III in 1868 2
Daniel, James, John, Joseph, Thomas Camp, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1875

Camp migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Camp Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Abiar Camp Jr., U.E. born in Connecticut, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 3
Mr. Abiar Camp Sr., U.E. born in Connecticut, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 3
Mr. Abiathar Camp Jr., U.E. (b. 1757) born in Wallingford, New Haven County, Connecticut, USA from New Haven, Connecticut, USA who settled in Parr Town [Saint John], New Brunswick c. 1783, Lots 25, Prince William Saint W. and 992 north side Queen Square member of the Navel Service, married to Mary Chidester they had 8 children he attended Yale College before withdrawing in 1775 he died in 1841 Waterborough, Queen's County, New Brunswick 3
Mr. Abiathar Camp Sr., U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 3
Mr. Eldad Camp U.E. born in Connecticut, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Camp migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Camp Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Camp, (Camps), (b. 1779), aged 40, English farm labourer who was convicted in Essex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
Mr. Samuel Camp, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mrs. Charlotte Camp who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 31st December 1831, arriving in New South Wales 6
John Camp, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "David Malcolm" in 1847 7
Andrew Camp, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Princess Royal" in 1848 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Camp (post 1700) +

Joseph S. "Joe" Camp Jr. (1939-2024), American motion picture director and writer who is best known as the creator and director of the Benji films
Dean Fleischer Camp, American film director, film producer, screenwriter and film editor. He created the Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, which was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Editing at the 38th Independent Spirit Awards and Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 95th Academy Awards
Laurie Smith Camp (1953-2020), American jurist, United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska (2018-2020)
John N. Happy Camp, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 1972 9
John Lafayette Camp (1828-1891), American lawyer and planter
Jeremy Thomas Camp (b. 1978), American three-time Music Award nominated and Grammy Award nominated Christian musician and songwriter
Helen Page Camp (1930-1991), American actress
Howard Lee "Howie" Camp (1893-1960), American Major League Baseball outfielder for the New York Yankees in 1917
Gregory Dean "Greg" Camp (b. 1967), American Grammy Award-nominated songwriter, guitarist and vocalist
Donald E. Camp (b. 1940), American artist, photographer, and professor of photography at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania
... (Another 86 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DAVID MALCOLM 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847DavidMalcolm.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PRINCESS ROYAL 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848PrincessRoyal.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html