2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ambus
A surname meaning "around" or "both", potentially derived from the Latin word "ambo".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Ambus. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ambus 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.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Ambus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ambus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.7%. The next largest groups are White (25.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ambus
The surname AMBUS is believed to have originated in the Normandy region of northern France during the medieval period. It is thought to derive from the Old French word "ambur," meaning "barn" or "granary." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked at a barn or granary.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname AMBUS can be found in Norman records from the 12th century. One notable example is Willelmus Ambus, who was mentioned in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Étienne de Fontenay in 1185. This cartulary, or medieval manuscript, contains valuable information about landowners and tenants in the region.
In the 13th century, the surname AMBUS appeared in several English records, likely brought over by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest of 1066. For instance, a Richard Ambus was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. These rolls were administrative records that documented landholdings and taxes owed to the Crown.
During the late medieval period, the name AMBUS evolved into various spelling variations, including Ambes, Ambis, and Ambeys. These variations reflect the fluid nature of surname spellings in those times, as they were often recorded phonetically by scribes.
One notable bearer of the AMBUS surname was John Ambus, a prominent English merchant and landowner who lived in the 15th century. He was mentioned in several legal documents and records related to property transactions and disputes in the city of London.
Another historical figure with the AMBUS surname was Pierre Ambus, a French Protestant clergyman who lived in the 16th century. He was a prominent figure in the French Reformation and was actively involved in the translation and dissemination of Protestant literature.
In the 17th century, the AMBUS surname can be found in various parish records and church registers across England and France. For example, the baptism of Marie Ambus was recorded in the parish of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris in 1643.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the AMBUS surname in North America dates back to the late 17th century. Jacques Ambus, a French immigrant, was listed as a resident of Quebec City in the 1686 census of New France.
Throughout its history, the AMBUS surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of its bearers over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ambus
Among Census respondents with the surname Ambus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.7%. The next largest groups are White (25.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ambus 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 Ambus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American72.7% · 80
- White25.5% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ambus
Ambus 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+9 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 488 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-11 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 488 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 11,142 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 Ambus 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 | #138,304 | #149,446 | -8.1% |
| Count | 121 | 110 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ambus bearers went from 121 to 110 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 11,142 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #149,446.
FAQ
Ambus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ambus?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Ambus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Ambus?
Ambus ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Ambus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ambus.
Has Ambus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ambus went from 121 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Ambus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ambus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.7%. The next largest groups are White (25.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ambus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.7% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ambus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (72.7%), White (25.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Ambus (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 Ambus mean?
A surname meaning "around" or "both", potentially derived from the Latin word "ambo". 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 Ambus (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Ambus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.