Fun Facts About the Name Ambrosia
- More than 1 thousand babies named Ambrosia: U.S. records list 1,700 babies given the name Ambrosia from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ambrosia Mean?
Ambrosia comes from the Greek noun ambrosia (ἀμβροσία), the food and drink of the gods in Greek myth, and it carries the sense of "immortality." The word goes back to ambrotos (ἄμβροτος), "immortal," formed from the negative prefix a- ("not") plus brotos (βροτός), "mortal." Taken literally, it means "not mortal" - deathless, or belonging to the undying gods. The name shares this Greek root with the masculine name Ambrose, which reached European use through the Greek Ambrosios and its Latin form Ambrosius; Ambrosia is built directly on the Greek noun, and the word refers to the gods' own sustenance rather than simply to a quality of immortality.
Ambrosia Name History & Origins
In Greek myth, ambrosia was the substance that kept the gods deathless, mentioned in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, usually alongside nectar. Because the word named the food of immortality, it also appears as a name for mythological women. One nymph called Ambrosia is counted among the nurses of the infant Dionysus, and in the Dionysiaca of Nonnus she is transformed into a grapevine. These are literary appearances of the name, not evidence of its earliest use as an ordinary personal name.
As a feminine given name, Ambrosia is formed from the Greek noun and is used in several European languages, including Italian and Spanish. It is distinct in development from the masculine Ambrose, which spread widely through the fame of Saint Ambrose, bishop of Milan in the fourth century, while Ambrosia kept the older mythological and botanical associations of the Greek word. In 1753 Linnaeus assigned Ambrosia as the botanical genus name for the ragweeds, an unrelated later use of the same Greek term.
How Popular is the Name Ambrosia?
Ambrosia has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1981. Its best rank was #1,730 in 1900.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,991 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #11,131 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #6,946 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2022 | #8,569 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #11,206 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #13,540 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #8,632 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #8,650 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2017 | #7,114 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2016 | #6,921 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2015 | #7,295 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2014 | #11,037 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2013 | #6,742 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2012 | #6,599 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #6,157 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2010 | #10,499 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #5,906 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2008 | #6,817 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2007 | #5,535 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2006 | #6,372 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2005 | #3,460 | 43 | 0.0023% |
| 2004 | #3,499 | 42 | 0.0023% |
| 2003 | #3,737 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 2002 | #3,895 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 2001 | #2,882 | 50 | 0.0028% |
| 2000 | #2,780 | 52 | 0.0029% |
| 1999 | #2,308 | 64 | 0.0036% |
| 1998 | #2,651 | 51 | 0.0029% |
| 1997 | #2,776 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 1996 | #2,761 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 1995 | #2,486 | 51 | 0.0029% |
| 1994 | #2,505 | 50 | 0.0028% |
| 1993 | #2,492 | 50 | 0.0028% |
| 1992 | #2,488 | 51 | 0.0028% |
| 1991 | #2,388 | 53 | 0.0028% |
| 1990 | #2,258 | 56 | 0.0029% |
| 1989 | #2,528 | 45 | 0.0024% |
| 1988 | #2,072 | 56 | 0.0031% |
| 1987 | #1,991 | 56 | 0.0032% |
| 1986 | #2,026 | 53 | 0.0031% |
| 1985 | #2,402 | 41 | 0.0024% |
| 1984 | #2,112 | 47 | 0.0028% |
| 1983 | #2,201 | 44 | 0.0026% |
| 1982 | #2,455 | 39 | 0.0023% |
| 1981 | #1,735 | 65 | 0.0039% |
| 1980 | #1,886 | 57 | 0.0034% |
| 1979 | #2,998 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 1978 | #5,228 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1977 | #5,541 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1976 | #5,611 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1975 | #8,017 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1944 | #4,072 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1936 | #3,713 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1935 | #4,233 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1927 | #4,310 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1923 | #3,134 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1920 | #3,617 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1917 | #4,618 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1916 | #3,935 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1915 | #3,808 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1900 | #1,730 | 6 | 0.0020% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Ambrosia Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Ambrosia's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ambrosia's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.