How to say it
CAM · den
/ˈkæm.dən/
Masculine
Camden
Enclosed valley
What it means
English place name from Camden in London (the borough), possibly from an Old English root meaning 'enclosed valley.' Modern English-language usage as a first name dates from the 2000s.
Camden is an English place name, most famous as the London borough that contains Camden Town and Camden Market. Etymologists trace the place name to an Old English root, perhaps cam ('enclosure') + denu ('valley'), giving 'enclosed valley.' William Camden (1551-1623) was an English antiquarian and historian whose Britannia is a foundational text of English topography. Camden, New Jersey, was named for Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden. As a first name Camden is American and recent: rare before 2000, then surging with the masculine surname-first wave. It entered the US top 200 in 2007. Cam is the standard short.
Popularity over time
peaked at #99 in 2013, currently #205 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Cam is the universal short, shared with Cameron. Some families lean into the London borough association; others use the name without thinking about it.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Camden Town (London) London borough famous for the market and music scene
- William Camden Tudor-era English antiquarian and historian, author of Britannia
Spelling variants
- Kamden
Names with the same feeling
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