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Ambler History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Ambler History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Ambler was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. Ambler is a name for a person employed as an enameller, and derives from the Anglo-Norman-French amayler, of the same meaning. 1

It is also possible that the name refers to one who is employed in a profession which involves horses, as the Old English ambler means walker, and is a technical word for the slowest gait of a horse. 2 "The surname may mean ‘keeper of the stable’" 1

Their ancient estates were in Amblie, in Calvados in Normandy. 3

Early Origins of the Ambler family

The surname Ambler was first found in Yorkshire where Nicholas le Aumbleour was recorded in 1307. Alexander Ambler was a Freeman of York in 1474. London records show William le Amayler there in 1303 and Robert Ambeler in 1375. Later, Simon le Amelous was listed in Somerset in 1344. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included Thomas le Amblur, but no county was provided. 4

"Ambler is an old Yorkshire name, now best represented in the West Riding, There were several of the name in Arnley about a century ago. William Ambler was mayor of Doucaster in 171, and one of the sheriffs of York in 1727 bore this name. In 1665, Captain Thomas Ambler gave £30 to the poor of Leeds. Ombler was the name of the mayor of Holderness, in the East Riding, in 1618, 1638, 1655, and 1821. The name occurred amongst the yeomen of East Hasterton in the reign of Edward VI. (D.); and going much further back we find Amblurs in the East Riding and in Lincolnshire in the reign of Edward I." 5

Early History of the Ambler family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ambler research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1166 and 1924 are included under the topic Early Ambler History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ambler Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Ambler, Ambeller, Amblie, Anbler, Amble, Amblor and others.

Early Notables of the Ambler family

More information is included under the topic Early Ambler Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ambler Ranking

In the United States, the name Ambler is the 12,485^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Ambler migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Ambler or a variant listed above:

Ambler Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Ambler, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1637 7

Ambler Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Martha Ambler who settled in Virginia in 1721
John Ambler, who settled in Virginia in 1721
Joseph Ambler, who arrived in America in 1723 7
John Ambler, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1736 7
Benjamin Ambler in New York State, in 1774 with his wife, Mary, son John, and Ann, his daughter

Ambler Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Ambler, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1823 7
N Ambler, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
Isaac Ambler, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1867 7
William H Ambler, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 7

Ambler migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ambler Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Christopher Ambler, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749

Ambler migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Ambler Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Ambler, (b. 1803), aged 27, English sawyer who was convicted in Yorkshire, England for 7 years for poaching, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 11th August 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8

Ambler migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Ambler Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Charles Ambler, aged 40, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1856
Mr. Frederick Ambler, (b. 1837), aged 21, English mason from Dewsbury travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1858 9
Mrs. Mary Ambler, (b. 1837), aged 21, English settler from Dewsbury travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1858 9
James Ambler, aged 23, a plasterer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Maraval" in 1879
Harold Ambler, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Maraval" in 1880
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Ambler (post 1700) +

Ned Ambler, American filmmaker and photographer
Kevin Ambler (b. 1961), American lawyer and politician
George Ambler, American Republican politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates 42nd District; Elected 2012 10
Fred Ambler, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State Senate 10th District, 1942 10
Franklin P. Ambler (1825-1865), American politician, Member of Connecticut State Senate 10th District, 1861 10
David I. Ambler, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Oneida County, 1816-17 10
Daniel G. Ambler, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Gold Democrat National Convention from Florida, 1896; National Democratic Candidate for U.S. Representative from Florida 2nd District, 1896 10
D. L. Ambler, American Democratic Party politician, Chair of Putnam County Democratic Party, 1940-41 10
Charles H. Ambler (b. 1876), American Democratic Party politician, Pleasants County Sheriff, 1900-01; Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Monongalia County, 1951-54 10
Carroll Ambler, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 1st District, 1960 10
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html