The name Amis is an ancient name that was given to a person in Britain soon after the arrival of the Normans in the 1066. It is a name for a person who was a good friend or beloved one. The name was originally derived from the Old French given name or nickname Amis or Ami, which means friend. Alternatively the name could have been derived from the "descendant of Amos (burden-bearer.)" [1]
The surname Amis was first found in the county of Northumberland, where they were granted lands by King William after the Norman Conquest in 1066. They originated from Exmes, a town in the department of Orne, in Normandy.
"Amos, like Amias or Amyas, represents popular forms of the Norman-French Aimee, or Amys. " [2] Kirby's Quest had the first listing for the family: Thomas Amys, Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) [3]
Another sources notes: "the present family of Amos, established in the Faversham district, [in Kent] probably can claim an ancestor in Thomas Amos, a well - to - do yeoman of Ospringe, who in 1769 bequeathed £100 for the poor of Molash." [4]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Amis research. Another 178 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1889, 1640, 1692, 1721, 1576, 1633, 1619, 1695, 1689, 1759, 1641, 1721 and 1692 are included under the topic Early Amis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Ames, Amess, Amies, Amis, Amiss, Amos, Hames, Haymes, Eames, Emmes and many more.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Ames (Latin: Guilielmus Amesius) (1576-1633), an English Protestant divine, philosopher, and controversialist; Henry Metcalfe Ames, of Lynden, Northumberland; Joseph Ames (1619-1695), an English naval commander from Norfolk who commanded several ships of war, and made repeated voyages to...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Amis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Amis is the 18,834th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [5]
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 Amis or a variant listed above: