Convert any phrase into camelCase — first word lowercase, every subsequent word capitalized, no spaces.
user profile background color → userProfileBackgroundColor
camelCase is a naming convention used in programming where the first word is lowercase and every subsequent word starts with an uppercase letter, with no separators. The name comes from the visual hump-like rise of the capital letters — a row of camels on a string.
It's the default identifier convention in JavaScript, Java, C#, Swift, Kotlin, and TypeScript. JSON keys are conventionally camelCase. AWS API responses use camelCase. Most modern HTML data attributes (read via JavaScript's dataset property) are converted automatically between kebab-case (in HTML) and camelCase (in JavaScript).
userId, firstName, computeTaxRate — every JS/TS variable, function, and method name is conventionally camelCase.
Most modern APIs (REST, GraphQL) use camelCase keys in JSON payloads. Strapi, Stripe, AWS, and most SaaS APIs return JSON with camelCase keys.
Java standard library and most Java code uses camelCase for method names: setBackgroundColor, getElementById, readFromFile. Class names are PascalCase (different convention).
ORMs typically convert between database columns (often snake_case) and language-side object properties (camelCase) automatically.
JavaScript's CSSStyleDeclaration uses camelCase for properties — backgroundColor instead of background-color. CSS-in-JS libraries (styled-components, Emotion) follow the same convention.
camelCase starts with a lowercase letter (userName); PascalCase starts with uppercase (UserName). Many languages use camelCase for variables and PascalCase for class names. JavaScript convention: variables and functions are camelCase; classes and constructors are PascalCase.
Spaces, hyphens, underscores, and punctuation are all removed; the next letter after each separator is capitalised. "my-variable_name" and "my variable name" both convert to "myVariableName".
The converter lowercases everything first, then applies camelCase rules. Existing capitalization is normalised away.
Rarely. Python's PEP 8 style guide recommends snake_case for variable and function names; PascalCase for classes. Camel case appears in Python code mainly when interfacing with non-Python APIs that require it.
The capital letters create a visual hump pattern resembling a camel's back. The naming dates from the 1980s; the underlying convention predates that significantly.