Given name & surname · also French
Amber
“resembling the jewel; a warm honey color”
Amber pairs the warm imagery of the gemstone with a literary thread in its naming history.
Original FrenchAmbre
Meaning & origin
What it means
One French interpretation is “resembling the jewel; a warm honey color.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
How it developed
In German usage, Amber is a short form of Ambrosius.
The story
Amber began appearing as a given name toward the end of the nineteenth century. Kathleen Winsor’s 1944 novel Forever Amber later helped bring it wider attention.
Amber through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 375,668
- 978 boys · 374,690 girls
- Most popular year
- 1986
- 17,008 babies
- 2025
- 576
- #520 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −21%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 576 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 520 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 21.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 16,954 in 1986. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (104). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 322,911 as a first name in 2020; 645 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Amber’s family of names
In German usage, Amber is a short form of Ambrosius. Amber has a related form in Amberly. In English usage, Amber has a related form in Ambar.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Amber has relatives in 9 languages. Lines run from its Arabic roots to each of them.
10 related names in 9 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 22
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Amber
- Amber HeardAmerican actressborn 1986
- Amber VallettaAmerican model and actressborn 1974
- Amber BensonAmerican actressborn 1977
- Amber TamblynAmerican actress and writerborn 1983
- Amber RuddBritish politician (born 1963)
- Amber RileyAmerican actress and singerborn 1986
- Amber RoseAmerican model and television personalityborn 1983
- Amber MidthunderAmerican actressborn 1997
- Amber LiuTaiwanese-American rapper and singerborn 1992
Characters named Amber: Amber Volakis (House M.D. tv series character), Amber Moore (fictional character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Amber, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Yesenia
“resembling a flower”
>99% girls
Lauren
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree” · “man from Laurentum; crowned with laurel”
>99% girls
Janelle
“God is gracious”
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Amy
“dearly loved”
>99% girls
Bianca
“a shining, fair-skinned woman”
>99% girls
Dalia
“dahlia” · “one who is gentle”
>99% girls
Lorena
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Mireya
“one who is worthy of admiration”
>99% girls