2000
#14,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,903
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Ambler
An occupational surname referring to a walker or inspector of boundaries, fences, and ditches.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,104 Americans carry the last name Ambler. That puts it at #15,388 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,906 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ambler surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ambler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 162,906
Census rank
#15,388
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,835 bearers of the surname Ambler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15388th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ambler, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ambler
The surname Ambler originated in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word 'ambler', meaning a person who ambled or walked with a leisurely gait. The name was likely initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who had a distinct walking style.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Ambler can be found in various county records and tax rolls from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273 mention a Robert le Amblour, while the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379 list a Johannes Ambler.
In the 15th century, the surname appears in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence between members of the Paston family of Norfolk. One letter from 1472 mentions a John Ambler, who was likely a servant or retainer of the Paston household.
During the Tudor period, the Ambler surname can be found in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1524, which list a William Ambler. In the 16th century, the name was also associated with the village of Ambleside in Cumbria, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in that region.
Notable individuals with the surname Ambler include:
1. John Ambler (c. 1624-1668), an English Puritan minister and author who served as a chaplain during the English Civil War.
2. Jacquetta Ambler (1697-1764), an English poet and writer who published several books of poetry and religious works.
3. Charles Ambler (1808-1898), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several notable buildings in London, including St. Pancras Station.
4. Charles Henry Ambler (1876-1957), an American historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of West Virginia and the American South.
5. Eric Ambler (1909-1998), a renowned English novelist and screenwriter best known for his spy and thriller novels, including "The Mask of Dimitrios" and "Journey into Fear".
The Ambler surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Ambleside in Cumbria, Amberley in West Sussex, and Ambrosden in Oxfordshire, which may have influenced the spelling and distribution of the name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ambler
Among Census respondents with the surname Ambler, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ambler bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ambler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 1,522
- Black or African American8.0% · 146
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 73
- Two or more races3.3% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ambler
Ambler appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#15,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,966
+63 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 611 places
2020
#15,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,835
-131 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 368 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,409 | 1,903 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,020 | 1,966 | 0.67 | +63 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 611 places |
| 2020 | #15,388 | 1,835 | 0.61 | -131 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 368 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ambler surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,020 | #15,388 | -2.5% |
| Count | 1,966 | 1,835 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.61 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ambler bearers went from 1,966 to 1,835 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 368 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,020 to #15,388.
FAQ
Ambler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ambler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,104 living Americans carry the surname Ambler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,906 residents.
How common is Ambler?
Ambler ranks #15,388 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,835 people with the surname Ambler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,104), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ambler.
Has Ambler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ambler went from 1,966 recorded bearers to 1,835. That is a decrease of 131 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,020 to #15,388.
What does the Census say about the background of Ambler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ambler, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ambler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (1,522 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ambler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Black (8.0%), Hispanic (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ambler (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ambler mean?
An occupational surname referring to a walker or inspector of boundaries, fences, and ditches. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ambler (0.61 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Ambler?
See how many Americans have the surname Ambler on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.