Given name & surname · also Late Latin
Ambrose
“immortal, divine”
Ambrose is a masculine given name from Latin, ultimately from Ancient Greek.
Original GreekΑμβρόσιος
Meaning & origin
What it means
Ambrose goes back to Ancient Greek ἀμβρόσιος, meaning “immortal, divine.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Late Latin.
How it developed
In English usage, Ambrose developed from Ἀμβρόσιος.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ambrose through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 10,911
- 10,868 boys · 43 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 411 babies
- 2025
- 363
- #735 for boys · #15,084 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +123%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 358 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 735 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 120.1% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 5 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (36). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,945 as a first name in 2020; 16,202 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.
Ambrose’s family of names
In English usage, Ambrose has a diminutive in AMBERS. Ambrose shares a linguistic root with Ambrosio. Ambrose has a related form in Ambrosia.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ambrose has relatives in 18 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Ancient Greekwhere Ambrose comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 25
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Ambrosiavariant
- Ambrosvariant · German
- Ambersdiminutive · English
- Ambyvariant
- Ambivariant
- Ambrosiovariant · Spanish
- Brosediminutive · English
- Ambeyvariant
Show 17 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 14
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Ambrose
- Ambrose BierceAmerican editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist (1842–1914)
- Ambrose BurnsideAmerican general and politician (1824–1881)
- Ambrose Mandvulo Dlaminiformer Prime Minister of Eswatini1968–2020
- A. P. HillConfederate Army general (1825-1865)
- Rowdy GainesAmerican swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world champion, former world record-holder, television sports commentatorborn 1959
- Ambrose TraversariItalian monk and theologian (1386–1439)
- Ambrose MadthaIndian Roman-Catholic archbishop and apostolic nuncio (1955–2012)
- Ambrose of AlexandriaChristian saint and theologian (died c.250)200–251
- Ambrose AkinmusireAmerican jazz composer and trumpeterborn 1982
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ambrose, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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