So what truly is/are the origins of the name "Cameron"? Well I've come up
with a few twists which are sure to raise a few eyebrows.And these are with
source quotes.
Scottish shoppes all over have been selling Clan Cameron stationary for
years,some of this is from John Barker Associates of Scotland and their
version goes like this;
CAMERON The Gaelic 'cam-shron'-crooked nose- is the traditional
explanation of the name Cameron but 'cam brun'-crooked hill-was a place name
in the ancient Kingdom of Fife................etc.
Another source,Halberts,altho not reputable by Clan Cameron America
standards(right Tom), even suggests Norse origins.
The publication "Scots -Kith & Kin,a Harper Collins publication with
introduction by Micheil MacDonald,FSA,Scot.,Director, Highland Tryst Museum,
Crieff. This Cameron Clan interpretation is as follows;
The clan settled in Lochaber since at least Bruce's time later became an
important branch of the Clan Chattan confederacy,and their name,taken as
"Cam-shorn"('s' is silent),hook-nose,is reported to have fitted many
Highland Camerons. But Cameron also ,from the Norse "Cambron",had for a
century before Bruce been spreading widely from their Fife headquarters of
the same name. If the name is common is mere coincidence,it is not the only
one.
The Alexander Fulton book, Scotland and Her Tartans; The Cameron's name
is supposed to come from the Gaelic "cam-shron"(crooked -nose), said to have
been a feature of an early chief.
Probably one of the most comprehensive explanations is from the Charles
MacKinnon book , "Scottish Highlanders (Barnes and Noble). I'll try to be as
brief as possible .
........startling to discover this clan is almost certainly of lowland
origin. Sir Ian Moncreiffe of that Ilk attributes their name to a place name
in Fife and not to the Gaelic 'cam-shron' or 'wry-nose'. The clan is
believed to be a branch of the ancient and royal House of MacDuff
........... original Cameron lands were in Fife and in the Carse of Gowrie,
and in the lowland area of Perthshire. Sir Robert Cambron was Sheriff of
Atholl in 1296,and his seat was Ballegarno Castle near Dunsinane. The
earliest version of the name was 'Cambrun' or 'Cambroun',and Sir John of
Cambrun was a signatory to the Arbroath Declaration of 1320 (and so on and
on)
The Name has always been a point of controversy, maybe the Clan Chief in
Achnacarry should be the one to come up with an up-to-date version as to
the origins of the Name,Cameron.
Bob Cameron, Cold Lake