Ambly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Ambly is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest 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 Ambly family

The surname Ambly 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 Ambly family

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

Ambly Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Ambler, Ambeller, Amblie, Anbler, Amble, Amblor and others.

Early Notables of the Ambly family

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

Migration of the Ambly family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Ambly name or one of its variants: 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..

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.