AMES
Ames is a surname of both English and French derivation, rooted in the linguistic history of the British Isles. It is traditionally classified as a patronymic name, indicating lineage from a parent, and reflects a common medieval practice of adopting the given name of an ancestor as a family surname.
The name is ultimately derived from the Old French personal name Amis, the oblique case of Ami, which translates as "friend." This French root was itself borrowed from the Latin amicus, meaning companion, a cognate of the verb amare to love. The Norman Conquest of 1066 introduced the name into England, where it was recorded in a variety of early medieval documents.
Alternative etymological accounts propose that Ames may also function as a locational surname, originating from the village of Ames in Northamptonshire, England. This dual possibility accounts for the surname’s appearance in both personal and geographical contexts within historical records.
Documentary evidence for the surname dates back to the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Forms such as Amicia (feminine) and Amisius (masculine) are preserved in documents relating to the Danelaw in Lincolnshire (1189) and the Curia Regis Rolls in Hertfordshire (1211). A record of Rogerus filius, son of Ami, appears in the Chartulary of Ramsey Abbey in Norfolk (c.1250), and a Robert Amys is listed in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire (1273). The earliest known spelling, Robert Amis, is found in the Medieval Records of Suffolk (1221) during the reign of Henry III (1216–1272).
Notable bearers of the name include William Ames (1576–1633), an Arminian minister who served in Rotterdam from 1613 and held a professorial chair in theology at Franeker in 1622. Joseph Ames (1689–1759) was a prominent bibliographer and antiquary, elected as a fellow of the Royal Society in 1743. In 1637, an entry for a widow, Joane Ames of Yarmouth, notes her desire to emigrant to New England, a motivation recorded alongside the names of her children Ruth, William and John.
Collectively, the historical records underscore that the surname Ames is intertwined with notions of friendship, locality, and dynastic heritage. Its endurance from the medieval period to the present day attests to its longstanding presence within English society and its linguistic heritage rooted in both Old French and Latin.
Typical given names associated with the Ames surname
Male
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Christine
- Elaine
- Elizabeth
- Jennifer
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
- Victoria
Similar and related surnames
- Aam
- Ahm
- Ahme
- Aim
- Aime
- Aimes
- Aims
- Am
- Amas
- Amasi
- Amaso
- Amass
- Amazu
- Ambs
- Ame
- Amess
- Amesu
- Amey
- Amez
- Amias
- Amice
- Amici
- Amie
- Amies
- Amis
- Amison
- Amiss
- Amke
- Amm
- Ammes
- Ammis
- Ammos
- Amms
- Amoasi
- Amos
- Amosa
- Amose
- Amoss
- Amosso
- Amosu
- Amous
- Amoussou
- Amouzou
- Amres
- Ams
- Amso
- Amus
- Amusa
- Amuso
- Amusu
- Amuzie
- Amuzu
- Amyes
- Amys
- Amyss
- Amza
- Aomes
- Ayme
- Aymes
- Ayms
- Eames
- Emerson
- Emes
- Emms
- France
- Hames
- Hems
- Ismay
- Maes
- Norwich
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Ames in...
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There are approximately 3,293 people named Ames in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,756th most common surname in Britain. Around 51 in a million people in Britain are named Ames.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Ames
- August Ames - Canadian pornographic actress (1994 to 2017)
- Robert Ames - Conductor
- Les Ames - Cricket player of England. (1905 to 1990)
- David Ames - Field hockey player
- Percy Ames - Association football player (1931 to 1998)
- Joseph Ames - Historian (1689 to 1759)
- Nadine Ames - Puteri Indonesia 2010, contestant in Miss Universe 2011
- Neville Ames - (1891 to 1956)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.