Armstrong

1. English (common in Northumberland and the Scottish Borders): Middle English nickname for someone who was strong in the arm.

2. Irish: adopted as an English equivalent of Gaelic Ó Labhradha Tréan ‘strong O’Lavery’ or Mac Thréinfhir, literally ‘son of the strong man’, both from Ulster.

FOREBEARS: This is a very common surname in North America. It was brought to PA, NJ, and NH in the early 18th century by several different families of northern Irish and northern English Protestants. One such was James Armstrong, who emigrated from Fermanagh to Cumberland Co., PA, in 1745; another was John Armstrong (1720-95), who settled in Carlisle, PA, in about 1748. The Cumberland Valley of PA early became the most concentrated area of Scotch-Irish immigration in America.

See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.