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| Origins Available: |
| | England |
Cornwall, one of the original six "Celtic nations" is the homeland to the surname Amberson. A revival of the Cornish language which began in the 9th century AD has begun. No doubt this was the language spoken by distant forebears of the Amberson family. Though surnames became common during medieval times, English people were formerly known only by a single name. The way in which hereditary surnames were adopted in medieval England is fascinating. Many Cornish surnames appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames. The name Amberson is a local type of surname and the Amberson family lived at the town of Embrough in Devon. The name is also classified as a baptismal name as in the son of Emery.
The surname Amberson was first found in Devon where they held a family seat from very early times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Amberson research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1258, 1300, 1363 and 1379 are included under the topic Early Amberson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Embree, Embray, Embury, Embrey and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Amberson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Amberson or a variant listed above: