Camper History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Italy

Camper is a name that was carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Camper family lived in Campe or Campes, Normandy, where the family lived prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The derivation of this location is from the Old French word camp, which means field. 1

Early Origins of the Camper family

The surname Camper was first found in Warwickshire but looking back further, we found "Aluric Camp or Campa was a Domesday [Book] tenant in the eastern counties." 2 3

Robert Campe was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Warwickshire in 1195 and later, Tomas le Campe was listed in he Pipe Rolls for Hampshire in 1200. Down in Dorset, John Campe (Kempe) was listed there in the Pipe Rolls of 1205. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Felicia in Campo in Cambridgeshire; and William de Campo in Oxfordshire. Johannes de Kempe was found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 4

"Camp is a name that has been for six centuries characteristic of this part of England. It was represented in the adjoining counties of Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire in the 13th century. In the county of Herts, Camp is an old Saudon name (Cus.). John Camp was thrice Mayor of Hertford in the middle of last century. There are also Camps in Derbyshire. The Derbyshire Camps are now established in the Derby district." 5

The Comper variant was first found in Somerset where Elyas Cumper was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1224. Later, Walter Compere, le Compeyre was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1332. 3 The name is from "Camper or Champer. Perhaps from Champier, near Grenoble." 1

Early History of the Camper family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Camper research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1239, 1244 and 1296 are included under the topic Early Camper History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Camper Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Camper include Camp, Campe, Camper, Campor, Comper and others.

Early Notables of the Camper family

More information is included under the topic Early Camper Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Camper Ranking

In the United States, the name Camper is the 7,426^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6

Camper migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Campers to arrive on North American shores:

Camper Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Alice Catherine Camper, who arrived in Virginia in 1729 7
John Camper, who landed in Virginia in 1729 7
Wilpert Camper, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1763 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Camper (post 1700) +

Jennifer Camper, American cartoonist and graphic artist whose work is inspired by her own experiences
Karen D. Camper (b. 1958), American politician, Minority Leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives (2019-)
Franklin J. Camper (b. 1946), American veteran, known mercenary, educator, and writer
Carter James Camper (b. 1988), American professional ice hockey forward from Rocky River, Ohio
Susie M. Camper, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 2008 8
John E. T. Camper, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Maryland 4th District, 1948 8
Harry Green Camper Jr. (b. 1924), American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, 1961-64 8
Frank S. Camper, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 7th District, 1922 8
Petrus Camper (1722-1789), Dutch anatomist, physiologist, midwife, zoologist, anthropologist, palaeontologist and a naturalist

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html