Namewise

Alexander vs Ambrose

Alexander and Ambrosecompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.

Head to head

Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.

  • England and Wales · Boys

    In 2024, Alexander was ranked #36 and Ambrose #945 among boys in England and Wales.

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys

    In 2016, Alexander was ranked #49 and Ambrose #713 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

Alexander and Ambrose over time

Alexander and Ambrose appear together in 2 published lists, across 48 years of shared records. Alexander held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Ambrose in 0.

In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.

Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.

Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.

List by list

  • England and Wales · Boys27 shared years, 19962024

    Alexander held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Ambrose in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Alexander #14 in 1996, Ambrose #890 in 2023.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: Alexander #36, Ambrose #945.

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys21 shared years, 19642016

    Alexander held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Ambrose in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Alexander #49 in 2016, Ambrose #155 in 1964.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2016: Alexander #49, Ambrose #713.

Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Alexander, Ambrose
FieldAlexanderAmbrose
Record typeEditorially researched profileOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagemalemale
MeaningCommonly interpreted as 'defender of men' or 'protector of the people'.Not yet recorded
OriginGreekNot yet recorded
Pronunciation/ˌælɪɡˈzændər/Not yet recorded
Syllables43
Common variants / nicknamesAlex, Xander, Sasha, AlessandroNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZGB-ENW, IE
Most recent popularity observationUnited Kingdom #11 (2025)England and Wales · Boys #945 (2024)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)65/100Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)70/10082/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/10060/100
Data Confidencehighmedium

What the data shows

  • Alexander has a recorded origin (Greek); Ambrose does not have one recorded yet.
  • Alexander has 4 syllables, compared with 3 for Ambrose.
  • A meaning is recorded for Alexander; Ambrose doesn't have one written yet.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
  • The available evidence gives Alexander a "high" Data Confidence level and Ambrose a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.

How each name got here

Alexander

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1948

    First recorded at #320 among boys in Norway in 1948 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1952–2025

    Highest recorded position: #8 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2014 (recorded 1952–2025).

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #22 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

Ambrose

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1964

    First recorded at #155 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Republic of Ireland · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1964–2016

    Highest recorded position: #155 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2016).

    Republic of Ireland · Boys

  3. Most recent2024

    Most recently recorded at #945 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.

    England and Wales · Boys