Ambra
A feminine name of Italian origin meaning "ambergris", a fragrant substance.
Name Census estimates that about 851 living Americans carry the first name Ambra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ambra today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ambra births was 1981 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ambra. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ambra with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
851
~ 1 in 402,767 Americans
Peak year
1981
63 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2020 SSA rank
#12,228
Tracked since 1952
Census
Ambra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 834 people with the first name Ambra, which placed it at #14,190 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#14,190
National first-name rank
People counted
834
834 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
60.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ambra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ambra is White at 60.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.7%) and Hispanic (5.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ambra described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ambra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.2% · 502
- Black or African American28.7% · 239
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 47
- Two or more races4.3% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 10
Popularity
Ambra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ambra from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 408 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ambra by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ambra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ambras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Texas, California, Arkansas recorded the most babies named Ambra, while Washington, Ohio, Arkansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ambra
The name Ambra is derived from the Italian and Latin word "ambra," which means "amber." It is a feminine name that has its origins in the Mediterranean region, particularly in Italy. The earliest recorded use of the name Ambra dates back to the Renaissance period in Italy.
Amber, the fossilized tree resin, has been a prized gemstone since ancient times and has been associated with various cultural and religious traditions. The name Ambra may have been given to newborn girls in Italy as a symbol of beauty, warmth, and radiance, much like the glowing qualities of the amber gemstone.
In medieval and Renaissance Italy, the name Ambra was occasionally used by noble families and members of the aristocracy. One notable figure bearing this name was Ambra Battista da Genova, an Italian painter and miniaturist who lived in the 16th century. She was renowned for her intricate and delicate works of art.
Another historical figure with the name Ambra was Ambra Tornielli, an Italian noblewoman who lived in the 15th century. She was the daughter of Gian Giacomo Tornielli, a prominent noble from Novara, Italy.
In the 17th century, Ambra Amore was an Italian composer and singer who gained recognition for her vocal works and compositions. She was active in the musical circles of Naples and Rome during her lifetime.
Moving into the 19th century, Ambra Sommariva was an Italian writer and poet who published several collections of poetry and literary works. She was born in Milan in 1830 and her works reflected the cultural and political climate of her time.
In more recent history, Ambra Angiolini is an Italian actress, singer, and television personality who rose to fame in the late 20th century. Born in 1977, she has appeared in numerous films, television shows, and theater productions, earning critical acclaim for her versatile performances.
While the name Ambra has its roots in Italy and the Italian language, it has also been adopted and used in other cultures and regions around the world, reflecting the universal appeal and beauty associated with the amber gemstone.
People
Ambra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ambra as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ambra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ambra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 851 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ambra going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 402,767 US residents.
Is Ambra a common name?
We classify Ambra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 906 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ambra most popular?
The single biggest year for Ambra was 1981, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ambra is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ambra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 834 people with the name Ambra, or 0.28 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,190 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ambra in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ambra?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ambra appears almost entirely female. Of the 831 people counted with this name, 99.2% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ambra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ambra is White at 60.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.7%) and Hispanic (5.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ambra most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ambra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.2% (502 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ambra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ambra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ambra in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ambra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ambra in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ambra can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Ambra?
Want to know how many Americans are named Ambra? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.