baby name AmbroseThe baby name Ambrose recently returned to the US Top 1000 following years of hibernation.

Thanks to Lou for requesting this cool comeback choice as our Baby Name of the Day.

IMMORTAL

Ambrose comes from the Late Latin name Ambrosius, derived from a Greek word meaning immortal.

That brings to mind ambrosia, the divine food of the gods – or, in more recent decades, a tropical fruit salad made with marshmallows. The root is the same.

But the Ambrose boasts millennia of use as a boy’s name.

SAINT AMBROSE

The most famous bearer of the name was 4th-century theologian Ambrose of Milan.

A lawyer by training, Ambrose became embroiled in religious debate, eventually being named Bishop of Milan. For his extensive writings and defense of the faith, he’s considered a Doctor of the Church in Catholicism.

Legends about the future saint abound. It’s said the bees swarmed his crib when he was an infant, leaving behind a single drop of honey – proof that he’d grow up to be an eloquent writer and accomplished speaker. Because of this story,  he’s the patron saint of bees and beekeepers.

It’s easy to imagine parents inspired by the saint and his writings choosing this name for a son. But the baby name Ambrose has long enjoyed general use outside of Catholic circles, too.

MERLINUS AMBROSIUS

In fact, the baby name Ambrose owes some of its more recent popularity to renewed interest in the story of Merlin.

A wizard at the heart of King Arthur’s stories, Merlin was probably introduced by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his not-quite-historical Historia Regum Britanniae, History of the Kings of Britain.

Writing in the twelfth century, Geoffrey borrowed two legendary figures – the Welsh Myrddin the Wild and the Romano-British Ambrosius Aurelianus. Both were based on historical figures. But they were merged and transformed into a powerful, legendary figure well-known throughout medieval Europe.

More on Merlin in a minute.

AMBROSE DUDLEY

If the sorcerer is mostly a literary invention, the history books do reveal some real-life men answering to Ambrose.

There’s the English nobleman Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick. Along with his father, he plotted to put Lady Jane Grey on the English throne. For his troubles, Warwick ended up in the Tower of London, condemned to death.

But Warwick won a reprieve and went on to serve under Queen Elizabeth I. He was a notable supporter of Puritan reformers, as well as a military commander.

AMBROSE BIERCE

Fast forward a few more centuries, and there’s writer and journalist Ambrose Bierce. Bierce wrote at the turn of the twentieth century.

The author of The Devil’s Dictionary penned such cutting definitions as: Advice, n. The smallest current coin.

He’s widely read all these years later.

BY the NUMBERS

When Bierce was born in 1842, Ambrose probably seemed like a familiar given name for a baby boy. In the year 1880, the first for which data is widely available, the baby name Ambrose ranked in the US Top 300.

It remained in steady use, falling through the 1920s and 30s, and finally leaving the Top 1000 rankings in the 1950s.

That means, of course, that the baby name Ambrose has hibernated for over a century – plenty of time to feel fresh and undiscovered to a new generation of parents.

But there’s more to this story.

OTHER AMBROSES

The saint’s popularity meant that the baby name Ambrose remained widely used throughout Christendom.

Ambrose Burnside was an American Civil War General with spectacular facial hair and plenty of namesakes. The term “sideburns” comes from his surname.

International forms include the Dutch Ambroos, Italian Ambrogio, and French Ambroise.

It’s a surname, as in actor Lauren Ambrose.

Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines was born Ambrose Gaines IV.

Evelyn Waugh gave the name to a fictional character; so did HP Lovecraft.

The name appears on the map, too. The Port of New York and New Jersey is entered via the Ambrose Channel, named for John Wolfe Ambrose, the nineteenth century engineer who led the project the expand the channel leading to New York Harbor.

EMRYS/AMBROSE

But it’s the rise of Merlin – and the use of alternate names for the character – that might fuel some of the baby name Ambrose’s recent appeal.

From 2008 to 2012, the BBC broadcast Merlin, detailing the early friendship between the wizard and the future King Arthur.

It aired on Netflix in both the US and the UK, and developed a devoted audience.

In the show, he’s also called Emrys – the Welsh equivalent of Ambrose.

That alone might’ve sparked some interest in the name as parents dig in to the stories of the Round Table.

But it also leads us to a very different fictional wizard from another universe: Archie Comics’ Ambrose Spellman.

In The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the darker Netflix reboot of the light-hearted supernatural comic-turned-90s-television staple, he’s a warlock. Played by Chance Perdomo, Ambrose is also Sabrina’s cousin and ally – and while he appears young, he’s been around for ages.

There’s a big bump in the name’s use following Sabrina’s 2018 debut.

ADVENTUROUS GENT

On sound alone, the baby name Ambrose feels gentlemanly. It’s a name for a little scholar, a pint-sized gentleman.

And yet, there’s something big and bold about Ambrose, too. It’s an enduring name tied to the most legendary of figures, along with many other men of accomplishment.

The original 2008 version of this post called the baby name Ambrose “the kind of name that might have hidden appeal” and “the thinking type with a sense of adventure.”

That’s even more true today.

Would you consider the baby name Ambrose for a son?

First published on May 20, 2008, this post was revised and re-published on June 8, 2022.

baby name Ambrose

About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

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13 Comments

    1. I can see that! Though I know a little boy Ambrose + he’s completely won me over.

  1. I love Ambrose! We have a 14 month old called Arthur, and Ambrose is a serious contender if my current pregnancy results in another boy.

  2. I know twins Ambrose and Elle, when I first heard the names I wasn’t sure but now I love it. Ambrose’s Uncle Brandon is nicknamed by his family Bo, the nickname has now passed on to Ambrose.

    1. Bo for Ambrose? Love it! Ambrose and Elle is unexpected, but it really works, doesn’t it?

      1. It really is perfect and they are the cutest twins! If I remember right there is a ship in NYC named Ambrose, their parents got engaged there.

  3. Hey! I missed this one originally but was poking around, as usual and saw him. he’s Simon’s first middle (second middle is Grandma Honey’s maiden name). I wish I’d been braver back then and either used Simeon (as I had origianlly intended) or put Ambrose up front, since he honors (one of) Grandma’s brothers, this one died in Vietnam (I think, might be Cambodia). Back to the point. Ambrose is awesome. Warm, cheerful, friendly and strong. I like that he doesn’t nickname easily! 🙂 And for Elisabeth, Broz is probably brose, to rhyme with rose, since that’s the latter half of the name Am-brose. And in my case, Ambrose’s “brother” is Sebastian!

  4. Twisting one parent’s or grandparent’s name to get a vaguely related baby name seems subtle and appealing.

    I’ve heard of a Ross named for a Rose, for example.

    The names are unrelated in history or derivation, but the intent is clear.

  5. I think with Ambrose could hang with Jasper, Milo, Oscar and Everett just fine. If your neighbors are Brody and Jaden and Cade, I’d probably hold back. Still, it is a bit flowery, and as he is Patron Saint of Milan, I think it would make a great name for a fashion designer!