This Swedish and Danish surname of AMBS is of the locational group of surnames meaning 'the dweller at the elm-hill; dweller on or near a large hill or mountain'. Surnames derived from placenames are divided into two broad categories; topographic names and habitation names. Topographic names are derived from general descriptive references to someone who lived near a physical feature such as an oak tree, a hill, a stream or a church. Habitation names are derived from pre-existing names denoting towns, villages and farmsteads. Other classes of local names include those derived from the names of rivers, individual houses with signs on them, regions and whole countries. The name is also spelt AMBURN, AMBERGER, AMBURGER, AMBS and AMB. The practice of adopting surnames spread to Denmark and Norway from Germany, during the late Middle Ages, but until the 19th century, they were neither fixed nor universal. The Danish state has in recent years been encouraging the adoption of a wider range of surnames. During the Reformation, Switzerland was not affected by the religious strife that devastated most of Europe; cities such as Geneva were in the middle of the Reformation and John Calvin became prominent as a Protestant reformer, founding Protestantism. Many people of Swiss origin emigrated from there to seek their fortune in other parts of the world. In the United States they particularly populated the states of Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois, Ohio, Texas and California. A minor notable of the name was Ray M. AMBERG, born on the 24th August, 1985. He was a hospital administrator, and his appointments included Business Manager at the University of Minnesota Hospitals from 1929 until 1932, and Professor at the Hospital Administration School of Public Health. Numerous of his articles were published.