Ambroise History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland
Scotland

The name Ambroise was brought to England by the Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. It comes from the medieval given name Ambrose, which was in turn derived from the Latin Ambrosius, which means immortal. 1 2 3

The name Ambrose was extremely popular and spread rapidly because of devotion to Saint Ambrose, who lived during the 4th century and was one of the four Fathers of the Western Christian church.

Some say that this name is descended from the Greek, meaning "immortal or divine," but it is more likely that the name is Norman and is taken from one of the great fathers of the Latin Church. Pierre de Ambroise was the Seigneur of Chaumont in Normandy and was living in 1440, apparently the surviving Norman branch of the family name. This family intermarried with the descendants of King Charles VII of France and is directly descended from Jacqueline, the King's mistress.

"No doubt the fair amount of popularity obtained in England for this fontal name was due to the great St. Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan." 4

Early Origins of the Ambroise family

The surname Ambroise was first found in Norfolk where the Latin form Ambrosius was recorded 1168-1175 at Holme. 5

Almost one hundred years later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included many different early spelling throughout ancient Britain: William Ambroys, Bedfordshire; Robert Ambros , Huntingdonshire; Richard Ambrosie, Huntingdonshire; and Henry Ambreis, Oxfordshire. 4

Later, William Ambroys was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1332. 5

Later in Scotland, "William Ambrosij (gen.) was burgess of Glasgow in 1488; and in 1499 a payment of eight bolls of wheat was made to Alexander Ambrose and his wife. Alexander Ambroise was minister at Newbotle, 1609. John Ambrose of Graystain was charged with assault in 1628, Jean Ambrois was a resident in Dunkeld in 1675, and four individuals of this name are recorded in Edinburgh in the seventeenth century." 6

Early History of the Ambroise family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ambroise research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1488, 1499, 1604 and 1662 are included under the topic Early Ambroise History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ambroise Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Ambroise family name include Ambroase, Ambrose, Ambross, Ambroyse, Ambrusious, Ambrusius, Ambros, Ambroise, Ambrorrows, Ambroroughs, Ambury, Amburys, Amborows, Ambroraes, Ambesace, MacAmbrose, McAmbrose and many more.

Early Notables of the Ambroise family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Joshua Ambrose, curator and rector of the Church of West Derby, Lancashire in 1662. 7 Isaac Ambrose (1604-1662), was a Lancashire divine...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ambroise Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ambroise Ranking

In France, the name Ambroise is the 3,179^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Ambroise family to Ireland

Some of the Ambroise family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ambroise migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Ambroise family to immigrate North America:

Ambroise Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jean Ambroise, who was listed in the "Alsace Emigration Book" as having left for America in 1828

Contemporary Notables of the name Ambroise (post 1700) +

Jean-Baptiste Ambroise Ravier, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
Charles Ambroise Dardenne, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 10
Étienne Ambroise Berthellemy, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 11
Paul Ambroise Valéry (1871-1945), French poet
Ambroise Chevreux (1728-1792), French Benedictine

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 12) Jean-Baptiste Ravier. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 26) Charles Dardenne. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) Étienne Berthellemy. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html