Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Camilo

Camilo is a Spanish and Portuguese masculine name derived from the Old Roman family name Camillus. Camillus referred to a pre-pubescent boy who was chosen from among the Roman nobility to attend the Priests during sacrifices in Rome’s pagan era (kind of like an ancient altar boy). The cognomen (i.e., nickname) Camillus was bestowed upon these acolytes (young religious attendants) for identification purposes and eventually became part of the boys’ hereditary name which is how Camillus endured beyond Antiquity. However, what helped the spread of Camilo among Spanish and Portuguese speakers were not these ancient pagan altar boys, but rather a 16th century Italian saint. St. Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614) was the founder of a religious order known as the Camillians, or “Ministers to the Sick”. St. Camillus dedicated himself to the sick and wounded, especially victims of the Bubonic plague and soldiers hurt in battle. Apropos, Camillus is the patron saint to hospitals, doctors/nurses and the sick and his Feast Day is July 14. It was mainly in honor of this saint that the masculine names Camillo (Italian), Camille (French) and Camilo (Portuguese/Spanish) became popularized in Western Europe from the 17th century onward. The Spanish Camilo is most popular in the country of Chile right now where it’s ranked in the Top 50. Milo is a possible nickname.

All About the Baby Name – Camilo

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME CAMILO

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME CAMILO

English-speakers don’t really use the Camillus name on boys like the French, Italians, Portuguese and Spanish have traditionally. Probably because by the time St. Camillus was do-gooding across Italy well enough to achieve beatification and canonization, the English Church had broken with Rome. The new reigning religion of England, i.e, Protestantism, doesn’t buy into the Catholic “saint thing” (they saw saints as a serious distraction from Christ). But Catholics throughout the rest of Europe (including Ireland) were still embracing names of venerated saints to bestow on their children in honor of their faith. In any case, Camila and Camille are massively popular girl names in the United States, but Camilo is hardly ever used on boys. The fact that he’s even on the charts at all in recent years is due to the crazy-trendy female Camila. Why not Camilo? It’s a cool name for a guy, too. Just ask the French; Camille is one of the few unisex names in France.

Quick Facts

ON CAMILO

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Latin

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

994

PRONUNCIATION:

kah-MEE-lo

SIMPLE MEANING:

Attendant of religious rituals

Characteristics

OF CAMILO

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Camilo

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME CAMILO

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Camilo

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME CAMILO

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Camilo


Popular Songs

ON CAMILO

Camilo
a song by State Radio

Famous People

NAMED CAMILO

Camilo Villegas (Columbian golfer)
Camilo José Cela (Spanish Nobel Prize winner for literature)
Camilo Pascual (baseball player)
Camilo Sesto (Spanish singer)
Camilo Castelo Branco (Portuguese writer)
Camilo Cienfuegos (Cuban revolutionary)
Camilo Mori (Chilean painter)

Children of Famous People

NAMED CAMILO

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Camilo

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME CAMILO

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Camilo