Ambrorrows History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Ambrorrows is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Ambrorrows 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 Ambrorrows family

The surname Ambrorrows 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 Ambrorrows family

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

Ambrorrows Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was 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 Ambrorrows 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 Ambrorrows Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ambrorrows family to Ireland

Some of the Ambrorrows 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 Ambrorrows family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Ambrorrows 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].