Amburay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Amburay arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Amburay 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 Amburay family

The surname Amburay 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 Amburay family

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

Amburay Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Ambroase, Ambrose, Ambross, Ambroyse, Ambrusious, Ambrusius, Ambros, Ambroise, Ambrorrows, Ambroroughs, Ambury, Amburys, Amborows, Ambroraes, Ambesace, MacAmbrose, McAmbrose and many more.

Early Notables of the Amburay 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 Amburay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Amburay family to Ireland

Some of the Amburay 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.

Migration of the Amburay family

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Amburay or a variant listed above: Mr. Ambrose, who settled in Virginia in 1621; as did Isaack Ambrose in 1635; Joshua Ambrose, who came to New England in 1635; Leonard Ambrose, who arrived in Virginia in 1651.

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].