The Ambrose surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 17,178 people carried this name — #2,107 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 17,200 people counted. That is up 3% from 16,697 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Ambrose surname

A surname originating as a patronymic.

From Latin saints' name Ambrosius, from Ancient Greek ἀμβρόσιος (ambrósios, “immortal, divine”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Ambrose» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Ambrose’.

An early record he cites: William Ambroys, Bedfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Ambrose and Ambross.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 50 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 12 births for the Ambrose name in 1890.

Most were registered in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “6 in Cork and 5 in Limerick.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 11
Ulster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Ambrose was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Cambridgeshire: 29 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 345. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cambridgeshire 29
Essex 15

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

28 families named Ambrose, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 135 people lived in those households, 4.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

North Carolina 10
New Hampshire 6
Maryland 5
Pennsylvania 3
Virginia 2
Vermont 1
Rhode Island 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 227 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Ambrose in American newspapers,
1869–1921.

Newspaper page from The Seattle Republican carrying the name Ambrose
The Seattle Republican 1900-05-25
Newspaper page from The Bucyrus Evening Telegraph carrying the name Ambrose
The Bucyrus Evening Telegraph 1921-06-22
Newspaper page from The Anderson Intelligencer carrying the name Ambrose
The Anderson Intelligencer 1869-12-30

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,875 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Ambrose in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

43,318 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ambrose. The most, 8,610, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 13,648
Victoria 10,150
Queensland 8,363
Western Australia 4,951
South Australia 3,406
Tasmania 2,473
ACT (Canberra) 217
Northern Territory 42

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ambrose.

Who carried it

People named Ambrose,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Ambrose
    William Ambrose 1813–1873 · poet
  • John Wolfe Ambrose
    John Wolfe Ambrose 1838–1899 · civil engineer
  • Prosper Ambrose d. 1848 · naval officer
  • Anne Ambrose d. 1710
  • Eleanor Ambrose 1718–1816
  • Edward Ambrose 1814–1890 · sculptor

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Ambrose,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,009 records

2,009 records of the Ambrose name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 659
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 399
  • Other U.S. records 951
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Anthony F. Ambrose

    Born 1914 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at Buffalo; crane operator from Erie County. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1986, buried at Bath National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Paolo Ambrose

    Arrived at New York in 1906 aboard the Italia from Naples, aged 16; peasant. From Pescorocchiano, Rieti, Italy; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Louis Allen Ambrose

    Born 1946; from Sewaren, New Jersey. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1966 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 2,009 records for Ambrose in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia434 records

434 records of the Ambrose name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 222
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 76
  • Other Australian records 136
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Richard Ambrose

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Castle Forbes, arriving 1824; ticket of leave 1828. Native of Cork Co.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ellen Ambrose

    Arrived in Victoria in 1859 aboard the Ocean Chief, aged 22; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Oswald Arthur Ambrose

    Retired carpenter of Kew, Victoria; died 1964.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 434 records for Ambrose in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada127 records

127 records of the Ambrose name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 88
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 12
  • Other Canadian records 27
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Ambrose

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Scan, landing at Portland, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Thomas Ambrose

    Died 1974, aged 80; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record George Michael Ambrose

    Died 1959 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 127 records for Ambrose in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom47 records

47 records of the Ambrose name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 28
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 15
  • Other British records 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Ambrose

    Buried in 1845 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 65.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record David Edgar Ambrose

    Will proved in 1938; of Llanelly, Carmarthenshire.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Robert Ambrose

    Died 1917. Named in the roll of honour (1926).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 47 records for Ambrose in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand11 records

11 records of the Ambrose name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 8
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  • Other New Zealand records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Ambrose

    Died 1910, aged 78; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Jean Ila Ambrose

    Died 1977; ashes interred at Kaiapoi Public Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robert Ambrose

    Buried in 1909 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 76.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Ambrose in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Netherlands5 records

5 records of the Ambrose name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Charles Ernest Ambrose

    Married in 1946 in 's-Hertogenbosch.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Paschijn Ambrose

    Married in 1677 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Breda (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Arthur Ambrose

    In the population register of Vlissingen; born 1869 in Londen.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Ambrose in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France4 records

4 records of the Ambrose name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Hudson Jeyakumar Ambrose

    Born 1956 in Jaffna (Ceylan); died 2000 in Bondy (Seine-Saint-Denis).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Gaetan Ambrose

    Born 1937 in Antilles Britanniques; died 1998 in Fort-de-France (Martinique).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 4 records for Ambrose in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Ambrose.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Ambrose is.
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