# Ames (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/ames/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 22,385 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,598 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 13,793 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.4% (21,855 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /eɪmz/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From the clipping of Amy + -s (hypocoristic suffix).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Ames in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 85% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 7.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 4.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.0% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 1.9% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Ames in the United States and the United Kingdom.

## People named Ames

- Bruce N. Ames, American biochemist (1928–2024)
- Fisher Ames, American politician (1758–1808)
- Adelaide Ames, American astronomer
- Oakes Ames, American botanist (1874-1950)
- Adrienne Ames, American actress (1907–1947)
- Rachel Ames, American soap opera actor, Emmy winner
- Nadine Ames, Actress, Beauty pageant title holder (born 1991)
- Adeline Sarah Ames, American mycologist (1879-1976)
- Joseph Sweetman Ames, American university president (1864-1943)
- Ramsay Ames, American actress (1919–1998)
- Oliver Ames, American businessman, financier and politician from Massachusetts (1831-1895)
- Oakes Ames, American manufacturer, capitalist, and member of the United States House of Representative

and 10 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Amos, Amis, Amescua, Amezcua, Amick, Annis, Ang, Amico, Aung, Auyeung, Ange.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.