ARMOUR
Armour is a surname of both English and Scottish origin, first recorded in the late thirteenth century in the British Isles. The name originates from the Middle English word armure, meaning a protective garment worn in battle, and it is closely linked to the Latin root armatura through the Old French armure. Its derivation reflects a direct connection to the craft of producing or selling protective gear for warriors.
As an occupational name, Armour was originally given to a maker of arms and armour, a role that was vital to medieval military efforts. The surname could also function as a nickname for someone who was strong or who displayed a tough character, thereby signifying personal resilience as well as professional skill.
The early medieval form of the name was recorded in several spelling variants, including Armor, Armer, Larmour and Larmer. These variations arose from the assimilation of the agent suffix –or to the base word, and from confusion with the separate occupational surname Armer, which in turn derives from the Anglo‑Norman French armer. In historical records, the surname was sometimes noted as gwydo le Armerer in 1279, a spelling that contains the earliest documented phonetic rendering of the name in the “Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire”.
Documented instances of the surname include Simon Larmourer in the 1334 Calendar of Letter Books of Essex, John Armar who was a voter in Monkland in 1519, and later christenings such as Roger, son of John Armour, in May 1595 at St. Margaret's, Westminster, and Samuell, son of Nicholas and Elizabeth Armour, on 6th November 1651 at St. Dunstan's, Stepney. These records demonstrate the transition of the occupational surname into a hereditary family name.
While originally concentrated in Scotland, the Armour surname spread throughout the United Kingdom and beyond. In Scotland it is most commonly found in Inverness‑shire, Perthshire and Ayrshire, and in England it is largely associated with the counties of Argyllshire, Stirlingshire and Lanarkshire. The name is also represented in Ireland, notably in County Wicklow and Clare; in Canada, where it appears chiefly in Quebec; in Australia, with a concentration in Queensland; and in the United States, particularly within the Midwest where states such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and Ohio exhibit higher frequencies of the surname.
The continuation of the surname into the modern era is reflected in its frequent use among military personnel and in contexts where a symbolic association with strength, courage and protection is desired. Families bearing the name may therefore use it as a marker of service, loyalty and an ancestral connection to a martial heritage. The Armour surname, through its etymology, historical records and geographical dispersion, encapsulates a lineage that is firmly rooted in the traditions of the British Isles.
Typical given names associated with the Armour surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Mark
- Paul
- Robert
- Stephen
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jane
- Janet
- Jean
- Louise
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Susan
- Wendy
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Armour in...
Braille
⠁⠗⠍⠕⠥⠗
Morse
.-.-.-----..-.-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 2,806 people named Armour in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,184th most common surname in Britain. Around 43 in a million people in Britain are named Armour.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Armour
- Tommy Armour - Scottish-American professional golfer (1894 to 1968)
- John Armour -
- Jean Armour - Wife of the poet Robert Burns (1765 to 1834)
- Mary Nicol Neill Armour - Scottish painter (1902 to 2000)
- Norman Armour - American diplomat (1887 to 1982)
- Johnny Armour - Boxer
- Ben Armour - Football player
- Neil Armour - Scottish football player
- Davie Armour - Scottish football player (1953 to 2004)
- Margaret-Ann Armour - Scottish-Canadian chemist (1939 to 2019)
- Matthew Armour - Radical Free Church of Scotland minister on the island of Sanday/Orkney (1820 to 1903)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.