Armstrong

Armstrong is a surname of Scottish borders origin. It derives from a Middle English nickname which meant someone with strong arms. In Ireland the name was adopted as an Anglicization of two Gaelic names from Ulster: Mac Thréinfhir (meaning 'son of the strong man') and Ó Labhradha Tréan (meaning 'strong O'Lavery').^[1] Clan Armstrong is a clan from the border area between England and Scotland.^[2] The Scottish Armstrong is reputed to have been originally bestowed by "an antient (sic) king of Scotland" upon "Fairbairn, his armour-bearer" following an act of strength in battle.^[3]

From the name Ó Labhradha Tréan (meaning 'strong O'Lavery' and sometimes written in AngloIrish as "Tréanlámagh") the following surnames survive: "Trainor", Traynor", O'Lavery", "O'Laverty", "McLavery", "McLaverty", MacLavery" and "MacLaverty". Although the name "Armstrong" is quite common in the Glenavy area of County Antrim in Northern Ireland the other names are to be found within the 9 Ulster Counties and Scotland especially along the west coast.

Real people

• The Armstrong wrestling family (real last name James), including:
  • Bob Armstrong (born Joseph James, 1939), and his sons:
    • Scott Armstrong (born Joseph James, Jr., 1959)
    • Brad Armstrong (wrestler) (born Bradley James, 1961)
    • Steve Armstrong (born Steve James, 1965)
    • Brian Armstrong (born Brian Gerard James, 1969)
• Adam Armstrong (1909–1982), Australian politician
• Alexander Armstrong several people, including:
  • Alexander Armstrong (comedian), English comedian
• Alun Armstrong (actor), English actor
• Alun Armstrong (footballer), English player
• Annie Armstrong (1850–1938) American missionary leader
• Anton Armstrong, American choral conductor and St. Olaf College professor
• Archibald Armstrong, (d. March, 1672) court jester to James I and Charles I
• B. J. Armstrong, former basketball player, most notably with the Chicago Bulls
• Billie Joe Armstrong, American vocalist of Green Day
• Brad Armstrong several people, including:
  • Brad Armstrong (porn star), Canadian porn star
• Brian Armstrong (footballer), New Zealand international football (soccer) player
• Bruce Armstrong, American football player
• Campbell Armstrong, a Scottish writer
• Charles Armstrong several people, including:
  • Charles Armstrong (ethnographer), English ethnographer and technologist
  • Charles Armstrong (rower), American Olympic gold medalist in rowing
  • Charles Armstrong (physician), American virologist in the US Public Health Service
• Chris Armstrong several people, including:
  • Chris Armstrong (footballer born 1971), English player
  • Chris Armstrong (footballer born 1982), English player
  • Chris Armstrong (ice hockey), Canadian player
• Colby Armstrong, Canadian hockey player
• Craig Armstrong several people, including:
  • Craig Armstrong (composer), Scottish
  • Craig Armstrong (footballer), English player
• Curtis Armstrong, American actor
• Darrell Armstrong, American professional basketball player
• Davey Armstrong, American boxer
• David Armstrong several people, including:
  • David L. Armstrong, mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, Jefferson County Judge-Executive and Attorney General of Kentucky
  • David Malet Armstrong, an Australian philosopher
• Debbie Armstrong, Olympic gold medalist in the area of Alpine skiing
• Dwight Armstrong, American domestic terrorist
• Edwin Armstrong, full name Edwin Howard Armstrong, (1890–1954), American electrical engineer and inventor of FM radio
• Edward Armstrong several people, including:
  • Edward R. Armstrong, a Canadian-born, American inventor
• Elizabeth Armstrong, an American water polo goalkeeper
• Elizabeth Armstrong (settler), an American settler who took part in the Black Hawk War
• Ernest Armstrong (1915–1996), a British Labour Party politician.
• Eugene Armstrong, American construction contractor who was beheaded in Iraq
• Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong, better known as Dido, British pop singer
• Frank A. Armstrong, a United States Air Force General
• Frankie Armstrong, English vocalist
• Garner Ted Armstrong (1930–2003), American evangelist, son of Herbert W. Armstrong
• Gary Armstrong, Scottish rugby player
• Gary Armstrong (footballer)
• George Armstrong several people, including:
  • George Armstrong (actor), English actor
  • George Armstrong (footballer), English football player
  • George Armstrong (ice hockey), Canadian hockey player
• Gillian Armstrong, Australian film director
• Heather Armstrong, aka Dooce, American writer
• Harry Armstrong or Henry Armstrong several people including
  • Henry Armstrong, American boxer
• Herbert Rowse Armstrong (1870–1922), British murderer - the "Hay poisoner",
• Herbert W. Armstrong (1892–1986), American evangelist, father of Garner Ted Armstrong
• Hilary Armstrong, British politician
• Hilton Armstrong, American basketball player
• Hubert Thomas "Tim" Armstrong, (1875–1942) New Zealand Labour Party politician
• Ian Armstrong several people, including:
  • Ian Armstrong (Australian politician), Australian politician
  • Ian Armstrong (Australian artist), Australian artist
  • Ian Armstrong (footballer), English footballer
• J. Scott Armstrong, Wharton Business School professor
• James Armstrong several people, including:
  • James Armstrong (Pennsylvania), US Congressman from Pennsylvania
  • James Armstrong (footballer), former professional footballer
• Jeannette Armstrong, Canadian writer
• Jerome Armstrong, American journalist
• Joe Armstrong several people, including:
  • Joe Armstrong (football scout)
  • Joe Armstrong (actor)
  • Joe E. Armstrong
• John Armstrong several people, including:
  • John Armstrong of Langholm and Staplegorton, called Johnnie Armstrong of Gilnockie (died 1530), notorious outlaw of the Anglo-Scottish border
  • John Armstrong, Sr. (1717–1795), American general and Continental Congressman
  • John Armstrong, Jr. (1758–1843), American soldier and statesman, United States Senator, U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Minister to France
  • John Armstrong (footballer born 1936), former professional footballer
  • John Armstrong (poet) (1709–1779) Scottish poet.
  • John Alexander Macdonald Armstrong, Canadian politician
• Joseph Armstrong several people, including:
  • Joseph G. Armstrong, Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Karen Armstrong, English author
• KC Armstrong, American radio personality and comedian
• Kelley Armstrong, Canadian author
• Ken Armstrong (footballer born 1924), an England and New Zealand dual-international footballer
• Ken Armstrong (footballer born 1959), an English-born footballer
• Kerry Armstrong, Australian actress
• Kevin Armstrong, Antrim GAA great
• Kristin Armstrong, professional road bicycle racer and Olympic gold medalist
• Lance Armstrong, American cyclist and record 7 time Tour de France winner
• Lee Armstrong, American actress
• Louis Armstrong (1901–1971), American jazz musician
• Mark Armstrong (astronomer), British amateur astronomer
• Mark Armstrong (equestrian), British international representative show-jumper
• Mark Armstrong (footballer), New Zealand international football (soccer) player
• Mick Armstrong, Australian socialist and author
• Neil Armstrong (born 1930), American astronaut, first person on Moon
• Neil Armstrong (ice hockey)
• Neill Armstrong, American football player
• Otis Armstrong, American football player
• Paige Armstrong, American Christian singer-songwriter
• Paul Armstrong, Irish international football (soccer) player
• Peter Armstrong, (born 1957), English poet
• Rebekka Armstrong, bodybuilder, former Playboy model and AIDS activist
• Richard Armstrong several people, including:
  • Richard Lee Armstrong (1937–1991), American/Canadian professor, geochemist
• Robert Armstrong several people, including:
  • Robert Armstrong, Baron Armstrong of Ilminster
• Ron Armstrong, a New Zealand international footballer
• Samaire Armstrong, American actress
• Samuel Armstrong several people, including:
  • Samuel C. Armstrong (1839–1893), American educator
  • Samuel Turell Armstrong (1874–1850), American politician
• The Armstrong Twins, bluegrass and country music act in the 1940s and '50s
• Thomas Armstrong, several people, including
  • Sir Thomas Armstrong, (c. 1633 – 1684), English Army officer and Member of Parliament executed for treason
  • Sir Thomas Armstrong (conductor) (1898–1994), organist and conductor
• Thomas H. Armstrong
• Tim Armstrong several people, including:
  • Tim Armstrong (born 1965), American punk rock musician and songwriter
  • Tim Armstrong (executive), chairman of AOL
  • Tim Armstrong (ice hockey) (born 1967), hockey player
  • Tim Armstrong (New Zealand), (1875–1942) New Zealand Labour Party politician
• Tom Armstrong (cartoonist)
• Tommy G. Armstrong, Louisiana businessman and politician
• Trace Armstrong, American football player
• Vaughn Armstrong, American actor
• Ward Armstrong, American politician from Virginia
• Warwick Armstrong, Australian Test cricketer
• William Armstrong several people, including:
  • William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong (1810–1900), English industrialist
  • William H. Armstrong, American author
  • William L. Armstrong, American politician
  • William Ward Armstrong, Canadian mathematician and computer scientist

Fictional people

• Alex Louis Armstrong, the state alchemist from Fullmetal Alchemist
• Coach Armstrong, character in Degrassi: The Next Generation.
• Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy, radio series character on the show of the same name (1933–1951)
• Stretch Armstrong, action figure first introduced in the 1970s
• Tina Armstrong and her father, Bass, people from the Dead or Alive video game series

References

This page or section lists people with the surname Armstrong. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.