Bross

Bross is a patronymic surname of German origin.[1][2] The Latin name Ambrosius (which "Bross" is a reduced form of) was popular in early Christian Germany primarily because of the fame of Saint Ambrose of Milan (Aurelius Ambrosius), whose name comes from the Greek Αμβροσιος (Ambrosios) which means “immortal” or “divine.”[3][4] The portion of the etymology of Aμβρόσιος from which Bross comes is βροτός (Brotos) which means "mortal."[5][6]

Bross
Language(s)German
Origin
Meaning"immortal" or "divine" (patronymic) or "to sprout or bud" (nonpatronymic)
Region of originGermany

Demographics
Position of the Black Forest in Germany

The 2000 United States Census records 2,486 individuals with the surname Bross living in the United States and there are roughly 7,000 individuals worldwide. 159 live in France though they are almost exclusively clustered in the regions to the extreme East, near the border with Germany. Thus, 66 percent of Brosses live in the US, Germany, and France, with the greatest concentration found in the German state of Baden-Württemberg centered around the western portions of the Black Forest.[7][8]

There are several French names which begin with Bross but they are, insomuch as contemporary research can tell, not related to the German form. (Examples include Brosseau and Brossard.)

Prominent people surnamed Bross

See also
  • Mount Bross (A mountain summit in the US state of Colorado)
  • Fort Bross (A Confederate fort in the State of Virginia)

References
  1. Ancestry.com, "Bross Family History"
  2. MooseRoots.com, "Bross - Surname"
  3. Behind The Name - Ambrose
  4. Dictionary of American Family Names entry for "Bross" on page 235, see https://books.google.com/books?id=vG7MZ9J6dAgC&pg=PA235&lpg=PA235&dq=german+%22bross%22&source=bl&ots=JmrQ7sM7J4&sig=YmgYEyUPjddlV0K-sVUx-8uNLGs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiejLSOk8zRAhUrr1QKHXMSDggQ6AEISTAL#v=onepage&q=german%20%22bross%22&f=false
  5. Wiktionary.org, "Etymology of ἄμβροτος"
  6. Wiktionary.org, "Etymology of βροτός"
  7. American Last Names
  8. Bross Surname Meaning & Statistics
  9. Heir to the Empire Sourcebook by West End Games, p. 32
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