Armstrong (surname) Armstrong (surname) 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 Labhraidh Tréan" (meaning "strong O'Lavery"). Clan Armstrong is a clan from the border area between England and Scotland. 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. In the UK this surname is
Scottish Gaelic name MacKonochie, MacOnachie, MacOnechy, MacOnochie, Donohue" or "Donohoe" (ignoring the Mac/Mc variation). Note that Scottish Gaelic does not put a space between the and the second element, whereas in Irish, there is a space: Nicknames (, ) in Gaelic operate similarly to those in other languages and usually indicate a physical characteristic, an occupation, a location or an incident the person is associated and so forth. Some examples Due to the relative paucity of names and surnames in Gaelic, the official name of a person (i.e. first name plus a surname, in Gaelic or English) is rarely used in Gaelic speaking