Ambrose
A medieval baptismal surname from the given name Ambrose, made famous by St. Ambrose of Milan.
The #2,107 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 17,973 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ambrose comes from the personal name Ambrose, ultimately from Latin Ambrosius, which was borrowed into Old French as Ambroise and then into English as a baptismal name. The name is related to the Greek word ambrosios, meaning “immortal” or “divine,” from ambrotos, “not mortal.” As a surname, it typically meant “son of Ambrose” or more generally a family line descending from someone called Ambrose.
History
The surname was encouraged in England by the popularity of St. Ambrose, the influential 4th-century Archbishop of Milan. Medieval and later records show many spellings, including Ambrose and Ambross, and related forms also appear in French and Italian usage. The name spread as a Christian personal name before becoming fixed as a hereditary surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Nineteenth-century surname writers specifically linked the English popularity of Ambrose to St. Ambrose of Milan.
From the historical record
“TEMPLEMAN (A.-Lat. + E.)=Temple(q.v.) -I- E. man. Ambrose le Templeman. — Hund. Rolls. TEM PLER 1 (A.-Lat.) Templar [M.E. tempter, TEMPLAR/ L.Lat. templarius: v. under Temple]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)