Armstrong Surname Origin
A name given for strength in battle. Historians relate the following tradition: This family was anciently settled on the Scottish border; their original name was Fairbairn, which was changed to Armstrong on the following occasion: An ancient king of Scotland having had his horse killed under him in battle, was immediately re-mounted by Fairbairn, his armor-bearer, on his own horse. For this timely assistance he amply rewarded him with lands on the borders, and to perpetuate the memory of so important a service, as well as the manner in which it was performed (for Fairbairn took the king by the thigh, and set him on the saddle), his royal master gave him the appellation of Armstrong. The chief seat of Johnnie Armstrong was Gilnockie, in Eskdale, a place of exquisite beauty. Johnnie was executed by order of James V., in 1529, as a "Border Freebooter." Andrew Armstrong sold his patrimony to one of his kinsmen, and emigrated to the north of Ireland in the commencement of the seventeenth century. The Armstrongs were always noted for their courage and daring. In the "Lay of the Last Minstrel," when the chief was about to assemble his clans, he says to his heralds: "Ye need not go to Liddisdale, For when they see the blazing bale Elliots and Armstrongs never fail."
Source: An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import; Arthur, William, M.A.; New York, NY: Sheldon, Blake, Bleeker & CO., 1857.
For a more detailed definition for
Armstrong or other surnames, search the FREE Ancestry.com Name Dictionary.
Armstrong Last Name Meaning
|
|
|
There is more to
Armstrong family history than your surname origin:
You can 
Start your
Armstrong Family Tree  and discover things you never knew about your own family. Construct a free family tree to trace your own genealogy and learn about your personal family history.
Start by entering what you know about yourself and your family. You can invite your parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins and other family members to contribute what they know to add to your online tree - fill in names and dates, tell stories and upload photos.
Ancestry.com will use what you enter to try and find more about your family in the world's largest online collection of historical records and family trees.
Next Steps in building the Armstrong family tree:
Use these genealogy databases to fill in the blanks of your Armstrong heritage.
Armstrong in Ancestry.com Records
Start your family tree and learn the story of your family in the world's largest online collection of genealogy records and family trees. Look for additional generations to add to your family history. Find details such as family relationships, age, residence, occupation, year of immigration to the U.S. & ancestral town. Other genealogy records include birth, marriage and death records as well as biographies, military records, family history books, and historical newspapers.
Armstrong at the Mormon LDS Database
Trace your Armstrong family in the vast resources of the Mormon LDS genealogy online databases which includes the Ancestral File, transcribed census records, extracted church records from around the world, family trees, and the International Genealogical Index.
Armstrong at RootsWeb databases
Search for your Armstrong ancestors in multiple RootsWeb genealogy databases including the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), RootsWeb Surname List, World Connect, vital records, cemetery listings, census records, church records. The oldest and largest free genealogy site on the internet.
A Family History Thought:
'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
|
|
|
Use DNA Free Shipping Coupon FREESHIPDNA
|
