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Surnames: Campbell, Cambell
Classification: Lookup
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http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/1QH.2ACEB/198
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Reposted from the Genforum Scotland forum
From "The Surnames of Scotland" by Dr. G.F. Black
Cambell
In Gaelic, caimbeul means "crooked mouth", which may have been the nickname of
an early chief of the clan. Compare with Cameron (camshron = wry nose) and Gifford (= fat
cheeks).
Also Einar Thorfinsson, Norse Earl of Orkney (986-1020) known as wry-mouth (Rangmuthr).
[Should be Sigurdson. Thorfinn was his son].
Henderson (Zeitscrift fur celtische Philologie) suggest that the eipthet may have been
applied by neighboring clans on account of moral traits.
In a charter of 1447 the name was recognised as no more than a nickname, as the first Lord
Campbell was known as Duncan le Cambell.
Dr. Black disagrees with the derivation from Campobello "of the beautiful
plain", as the earliest form are all of the form le (= the) not de (= from), and it
was spelt Cambel or Cambell.
Clan tradition represents the Campbells as being originally known as Clann Duibhne or
O'Duine from a certain Diarmid O'Duine of Lochow. As the O'Duine, the
therefore the Campbells also, were traditionally said to be of the Siol Diarmid, (the
Fingalian Hero who slew the wild boar), it is to be noted that the father of Diarmid was
named Fergus Cerr-beoil (= wry mouth). This traditional descent is in part corroborated by
a charter granted 1368 by David II confirming to Archibald Campbell of Lochow various
things as freely as his progenitor Duncan M'Duine had enjoyed them.
Bishop Carswell's dedication of his Gaelic Prayer Book in 1567 shows that O'Duine
or MacDuine was the true Gaelic name of the clan. To this day there is no Gaelic
equivalent for Clan Campbell.
The earliest records of its use as a surname is Gillespic Cambel in 1263, Nicholas Cambell
1294, Duncan Cambel 1296, Sir Nicholas de Chambelle 1290. Duncan Campbell 1390 was the
first to put the p into the name.