AMIS
Amis is a surname of medieval origin that can be traced back to the Roman word amicus, meaning “friend.” The name was adopted as a nickname or patronymic for persons whose conviviality or amicability was notable within their communities. As the surname evolved through time, it retained its original signification while acquiring varied spellings and regional adaptations.
The introduction of the name into England occurred shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when the Old French form Amis arrived with the new wave of settlers. Early documentary evidence, such as the 1189 records from the Danelaw and the 1211 Curia Regis Rolls of Hertfordshire, records the masculine Amisius and feminine Amicia. In the mid‑13th century, the Chartulary of Ramsey Abbey (circa 1250) lists a Rogerus filius, son of Ami, and the 1273 Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire mention a Robert Amys. The February 1573 christening register of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, records a William, son of Richard Ames, further evidencing the persistence of the surname into the early modern period.
Several prominent bearers of the name have been recorded in history. William Ames (1576–1633) was an Arminian minister who served in Rotterdam in 1613 and held a professorship in theology at Franeker (1622). Joseph Ames (1689–1759), a bibliographer and antiquary, was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1743. In 1637, Joane Ames of Yarmouth, a widow aged 50, was listed in a register of New England emigrants with her children Ruth, William, and John, illustrating the surname’s early transatlantic migration.
The 1881 census of England shows that the Amis surname was concentrated around London and the South East of England. A 2008 study of surnames in the British Isles ranked the name 321st in England and 267th in Wales, indicating that it remains relatively common in these areas. In the French‑speaking world, a 2017 study identified Amis as the 286th most popular surname in France, with a historical concentration in the northern region near Flanders.
The surname has several variant spellings, including Ames, Ami, Emil, Amius, Emme, Em, Eems, Ame, Emm, Emmey, Emmi, Amel, Eey, and others that have arisen in different linguistic contexts. These variations reflect both phonetic shifts and the adaptation of the name across languages such as Old French, Latin, and later English and French.
Today the name Amis is found throughout the United Kingdom, mainly within England and Scotland, and remains present in the wider English‑speaking world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In continental Europe, it is also common in Belgium and the Netherlands, where historical ties to French culture have facilitated its spread. Across these regions, the surname continues to symbolize the historical notion of friendship and camaraderie that it has carried since antiquity.
Typical given names associated with the Amis surname
Male
- Alan
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Karl
- Mark
- Matthew
- Michael
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Angela
- Brigid
- Carol
- Jennifer
- Joanna
- Kathryn
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Rebecca
- Ruth
- Sandra
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Amis in...
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There are approximately 756 people named Amis in the UK. That makes it roughly the 9,154th most common surname in Britain. Around 12 in a million people in Britain are named Amis.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Amis
- Kingsley Amis - Novelist, poet, critic, teacher (1922 to 1995)
- Martin Amis - Novelist
- John Amis - Musician (1922 to 2013)
- Robin Amis - (1932 to 2014)
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.