Head to head · Boys' names
Ambrose vs Amos
#735 vs #730 in 2025 · both holding its place on the charts
Amos is a whisker ahead (#730 vs #735 in 2025) and both are holding its place on the charts. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Amos leads 4 measures of 6; Ambrose leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Ambrose #290, Amos #121 — Amos higher
- 1890s: Ambrose #296, Amos #150 — Amos higher
- 1900s: Ambrose #380, Amos #179 — Amos higher
- 1910s: Ambrose #405, Amos #218 — Amos higher
- 1920s: Ambrose #496, Amos #256 — Amos higher
- 1930s: Ambrose #689, Amos #300 — Amos higher
- 1940s: Ambrose #861, Amos #375 — Amos higher
- 1950s: Ambrose #1064, Amos #437 — Amos higher
- 1960s: Ambrose #1265, Amos #542 — Amos higher
- 1970s: Ambrose #1596, Amos #558 — Amos higher
- 1980s: Ambrose #1743, Amos #588 — Amos higher
- 1990s: Ambrose #2380, Amos #820 — Amos higher
- 2000s: Ambrose #2413, Amos #971 — Amos higher
- 2010s: Ambrose #1698, Amos #757 — Amos higher
- 2020s: Ambrose #746, Amos #663 — Amos higher
Amos stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Ambrose | Amos |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #290 | #121 |
| 1890s | #296 | #150 |
| 1900s | #380 | #179 |
| 1910s | #405 | #218 |
| 1920s | #496 | #256 |
| 1930s | #689 | #300 |
| 1940s | #861 | #375 |
| 1950s | #1064 | #437 |
| 1960s | #1265 | #542 |
| 1970s | #1596 | #558 |
| 1980s | #1743 | #588 |
| 1990s | #2380 | #820 |
| 2000s | #2413 | #971 |
| 2010s | #1698 | #757 |
| 2020s | #746 | #663 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Ambrose
Immortal
From Greek ambrosios, 'immortal, divine' — the same root as ambrosia, the food of the gods in Greek myth that conferred immortality.
Ambrosios → Ambrosius → Ambrose
How it traveled
The Greek adjective ambrosios became the Latin name Ambrosius, and that name was carried into history by Ambrose of Milan, the fourth-century bishop who baptized Augustine and became one of the four original Doctors of the Latin Church. From Latin it settled into English as Ambrose, into Italian as Ambrogio, into French as Ambroise, into Spanish as Ambrosio.
Amos
Carried, borne — from the Hebrew verb ʿamas, to lift or carry a load
The sense is usually read as 'carried' or 'borne up', often understood in the tradition as borne by God.
ʿAmos (Hebrew) → Amōs (Greek) → Amos (Latin) → Amos (English)
How it traveled
Amos is Hebrew, עָמוֹס, and belongs first to the prophet whose short book sits among the Twelve in the Hebrew Bible — a herdsman from Tekoa who spoke in the eighth century BCE. The Greek translators of the Hebrew scriptures wrote it Amōs, Latin kept it as Amos, and the spelling has not moved since.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Ambrose
AM-brohz
Stress on the first syllable, and the ending rhymes with 'rose'. The French Ambroise (am-BRWAHZ) and Italian Ambrogio (am-BRO-joh) shift both the stress and the sound.
- Amby — The most straightforward informal shortening in English use.
- Brose — An older Scottish clipping of the name, taken from the back rather than the front; rare now.
- Ambo — Informal, mostly a family or schoolyard shortening rather than anything written down.
Amos
AY-muhs
Stress on the first syllable in English. In Hebrew the stress falls the other way, ah-MOSS, which is how you will hear it in Israel.
- Amos — Two syllables already, and in practice most bearers are simply called Amos in full, formal and informal alike.
- Moe — An informal clipping taken from the second syllable; also stands alone as a short form of Maurice, Morris and Mohammed.
- Amo — Casual, family-level shortening rather than a name used on paper.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Ambrose if you want…
- a name on the way upup 83 places on the charts in five years
Choose Amos if you want…
- a name holding steadyAmos is holding its place on the charts
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Ambrose
Strengths
- An unbroken record from ancient Greek through Latin into English, with a place in Church history since the fourth century.
- The spelling is phonetic and the word ambrosia is widely known, so people generally read it right the first time.
- Sister forms exist in Italian, Spanish, French, Polish and Welsh, which travels well across families and languages.
To consider
- It ends in the sound 'rose', and some people will hear a feminine echo there or ask twice. It has been a boy's name for its whole documented history, but expect the occasional double-take.
- Short forms exist but none is firmly established, so in practice the full three syllables will be used most of the time. That suits some families and not others.
- Almost every Ambrose is the only one anyone has met, which means the name gets remarked on. Pleasant for many children, tiring for a few.
Amos
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds, and spelled the same in English, Italian, French and Hebrew transliteration — little correcting required.
- A continuous written record going back to the eighth century BCE, with the spelling essentially unchanged since Latin.
- Short enough to need no nickname, which means the child, not the playground, decides whether one exists.
To consider
- The radio and television series Amos 'n' Andy, with its blackface origins, carried the name through much of the twentieth century. The association has faded considerably, but older Americans may still catch it.
- Famous Amos cookies are on most supermarket shelves, and children are good at spotting that sort of thing.
- It reads as distinctly Old Testament — that is the whole appeal for many families, and a mismatch for others. It also remains strongly represented among older generations, so expect it to sound like a grandfather's name to some ears and a fresh one to others.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Ambrose and Amos in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Ambrose and Amos?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap
More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Saint names in modern use
- Dark academia names with candlelit gravitas
- Biblical names, from Noah to Naomi
- Cottagecore names from a storybook garden
- all guides
Where Ambrose and Amos each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Ambrose or Amos — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Ambrose or Amos?
- Amos, in 2025: Amos ranked #730 with 364 babies; Ambrose ranked #735 with 358 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Ambrose or Amos?
- Ambrose. Over the last five years Ambrose moved up 83 places; Amos moved down 34 places.
- Which is the older name, Ambrose or Amos?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named Ambrose and Amos?
- About 5,600 people named Ambrose are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 19,000 people named Amos are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Ambroses or Amoss in the classroom?
- Ambrose will almost certainly be the only one in school. Amos will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Ambrose, Amos and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap