How common is the surname Ames?

22,385 people in the United States had the surname Ames in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 13,793 Americans. It ranked 1,598th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Ames?

Bruce N. Ames, American biochemist (1928–2024), followed by Fisher Ames.

Where is the surname Ames most common?

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

Is the surname Ames getting more or less common?

More common. 21,855 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 22,385 in 2010, up 2.4%.

Is Ames also a first name?

Yes. Ames is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Ames

A surname, carried by 22,385 people in the United States.

Pronounced /eɪmz/ 1 syllable Soundex A520

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Ames is more common than 99% of them.

Origin

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

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 22,385 people named Ames in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 13,793 Americans. That is up 2.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 21,855.

#1,598

rank among US surnames

22,385

people in 2010

7.6

per 100,000 Americans

+2.4%

change since 2000 (was #1,499)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,589	Connell	22,552	13,690
#1,590	Temple	22,549	13,692
#1,591	Boswell	22,540	13,698
#1,592	Koenig	22,499	13,723
#1,594	Erwin	22,496	13,724
#1,595	Tellez	22,494	13,726
#1,596	Norwood	22,461	13,746

Who is named Ames

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

85% of people named Ames identified as white (not Hispanic), 7.9% as Black (not Hispanic) and 4.0% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Amess

22 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Bruce N. Ames
American biochemist (1928–2024)
Fisher Ames
American politician (1758–1808)
Adelaide Ames
American astronomer, 1900–1932
Oakes Ames
American botanist (1874-1950)
Adrienne Ames
American actress (1907–1947)
Rachel Ames
American soap opera actor, Emmy winner, born 1929
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, 1804–1873

Notable Amess come mostly from the United States (20) and the United Kingdom (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Ames

Ames has the Soundex code A520, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code A520.

Questions

Where does the surname Ames come from?: From the clipping of Amy + -s (hypocoristic suffix).
How common is the surname Ames?: 22,385 people in the United States had the surname Ames in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 13,793 Americans. It ranked 1,598th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Ames?: In the 2010 Census, 85% of people named Ames identified as white (not Hispanic), and 7.9% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Ames?: Bruce N. Ames, American biochemist (1928–2024), followed by Fisher Ames.
Where is the surname Ames most common?: Wikidata records people named Ames in the United States and the United Kingdom.
How do you pronounce Ames?: Ames is /eɪmz/, one syllable.
Is the surname Ames getting more or less common?: More common. 21,855 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 22,385 in 2010, up 2.4%.
Is Ames also a first name?: Yes. Ames is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.