WHAT IS A CAMERON?

The name of Cameron is thought to be over one thousand years old. It is a name that comes from the country of Scotland. Many people, for many years, have disagreed about what the name really means. There are two possibilities:

1) "Crooked Nose": That's right, it may mean "crooked nose!" The name of Cameron has two "parts," both of them are in a Scottish language called Gaelic. The first part is "Cam," which means "crooked," "bent" or "hook." The second part is "shron," which means "nose." Together they make up "Camshron," which many people think is the real meaning behind the name of Cameron. Now you might be wondering why we call ourselves "crooked noses?" There is a very old story which says that the very first man by the name of "Camshron" was a Prince from another country who came to Scotland and lived in the area the Camerons would eventually call their home, Lochaber, deep in the beautiful mountains of the Scottish Highlands. The story says that he had a very crooked nose. Another story says this "Camshron" wasn't a Prince, but a super-strong warrior who came to Lochaber to find a wife and to make a home. This "hero" married the daughter of one of the most important men in Lochaber and defended his family in many battles. This "Camshron" had a crooked nose from a fight with another strong man, a friend, who hit him in the nose by mistake one day when they were goofing around. His nose was broken and when it finally got all better it wound up being crooked.

2) "Crooked Hill": The other possible meaning behind the name of Cameron also has two parts, "Cam," once again meaning "crooked," "bent" or "hook." The second part of this possible meaning is "brun," meaning "hill." The name, "Cambrun," was popular in an area of Scotland far away from the Highlands and Lochaber. This area, called Fife, has many places named Cameron ( and many "crooked" hills!) and is now thought to be a possible meaning for the name of Cameron too.