# Amherst (surname)

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

An English surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | fewer than 100 |
| US rank (2010) | not ranked |
| How often | not recorded |
| Change since 2000 | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈæm.ɝst/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From either Old English elm or Old Norse almr (“elm”) + Old English hyrst (“wood”). The town in Nova Scotia is named after Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst (1717–1797).

## Where

Wikidata records people named Amherst in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

## People named Amherst

- Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, British Army officer (1717–1797)
- William Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst, British diplomat (1773-1857)
- William Amherst, British Army general (1732-1781)

## Similar surnames

Amerson, Amoroso.

## 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.