Ambur
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially meaning "immortal" or "undying".
Name Census estimates that about 472 living Americans carry the first name Ambur. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ambur today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ambur births was 1989 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ambur. 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 Ambur with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
472
~ 1 in 726,174 Americans
Peak year
1989
35 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2006 SSA rank
#12,502
Tracked since 1974
Census
Ambur in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 438 people with the first name Ambur, which placed it at #22,648 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
#22,648
National first-name rank
People counted
438
438 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
72.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ambur
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ambur is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Black (9.6%). 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 Ambur 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 Ambur at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.1% · 316
- Hispanic or Latino10.5% · 46
- Black or African American9.6% · 42
- Two or more races6.6% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Popularity
Ambur: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ambur from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 195 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ambur 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 Ambur during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Amburs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Georgia, Michigan recorded the most babies named Ambur, while Michigan, Georgia, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ambur
The name Ambur is believed to have its origins in the Tamil language, spoken primarily in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the northern and eastern regions of Sri Lanka. The name is thought to be derived from the Tamil word "ambu," meaning "arrow" or "missile," and "ur," meaning "town" or "village." Thus, the name Ambur could be interpreted as "the town of arrows" or "the village of missiles."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ambur can be found in ancient Tamil literature, specifically in the Purananuru, a collection of poems dating back to the 1st century BCE to the 5th century CE. In the Purananuru, the name is mentioned in reference to a place called Ambur, which was likely a small settlement or village during that time period.
In the 7th century CE, the Tamil saint and philosopher Thiruvalluvar made reference to Ambur in his literary work, the Thirukkural. This seminal work, which consists of 1,330 couplets covering various aspects of life, mentions Ambur in the context of a place known for its skilled archers and warriors.
During the medieval period, Ambur was a significant town in the Vellore region of Tamil Nadu, and it played a role in the political and military struggles between various ruling dynasties. The town is mentioned in several historical records and chronicles from that era.
One notable figure in history who bore the name Ambur was Ambur Annamalai Chettiar (1868-1954), an Indian businessman and philanthropist from Tamil Nadu. He founded several educational institutions and made significant contributions to the development of his hometown, Ambur.
Another prominent individual with the name Ambur was Ambur Subramoniam Appadurai (1905-1977), an Indian politician and freedom fighter who served as a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly and participated in the Indian independence movement led by Mahatma Gandhi.
In the realm of literature, Ambur Balachandran (1938-2011) was a renowned Tamil writer and playwright from Tamil Nadu. He wrote several plays, short stories, and novels and was recognized with various literary awards for his contributions to Tamil literature.
Ambur Subramaniam Pavithra (1932-2011) was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who played a significant role in promoting and preserving the Bharatanatyam dance form. She received numerous honors, including the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian awards.
Lastly, Ambur Vaidyanathan (1895-1975) was an Indian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, which drafted the country's constitution after independence.
While these are just a few examples, the name Ambur has been borne by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, with its roots firmly planted in the Tamil language and culture.
People
Ambur + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ambur 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
Ambur: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ambur?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 472 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ambur 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 726,174 US residents.
Is Ambur a common name?
We classify Ambur as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 495 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ambur most popular?
The single biggest year for Ambur was 1989, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ambur is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ambur in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 438 people with the name Ambur, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,648 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 Ambur 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 Ambur?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ambur appears almost entirely female. Of the 438 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Ambur?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ambur is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Black (9.6%). 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 Ambur most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ambur in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.1% (316 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 Ambur in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ambur a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ambur 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 Ambur still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ambur 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 Ambur 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 are named Ambur?
Find out how many people have the name Ambur on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.