Show ContentsAmbeller History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Ambeller is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. It 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 Ambeller family

The surname Ambeller 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 Ambeller family

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

Ambeller Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Ambler, Ambeller, Amblie, Anbler, Amble, Amblor and others.

Early Notables of the Ambeller family

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

Migration of the Ambeller family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Ambeller or a variant listed above were: Martha Ambler who settled in Virginia in 1721; John Ambler settled in Virginia in 1721; Benjamin in New York State, in 1774; with his wife, Mary, son John, and Ann, his daughter..



  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. 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)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.


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