The Armour surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,139 people carried this name — #4,366 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 36,200 people counted. That is up 6% from 7,711 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Armour surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the armourer’.

An early record he cites: Guy le Armerer, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Armer, Armerer, Armour and Armor.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 59 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 10 births for the Armour name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 9
Leinster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Scotland’s registers today

Armour was recorded 35 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 710th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 47. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Armour in American newspapers,
1901–1919.

Newspaper page from Great Falls Daily Tribune carrying the name Armour
Great Falls Daily Tribune 1919-09-11
Newspaper page from Great Falls Daily Tribune carrying the name Armour
Great Falls Daily Tribune 1919-01-22
Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Armour
Daily Kennebec Journal 1901-10-26

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 11,434 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Armour in Australian newspapers,
1840s–2000s.

21,589 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Armour. The most, 3,314, date from the 1900s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Queensland, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 9,445
Queensland 5,739
Victoria 2,799
South Australia 2,165
Western Australia 638
Tasmania 614
ACT (Canberra) 150
Northern Territory 16

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Armour.

Who carried it

People named Armour,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Jean Armour
    Jean Armour 1765–1834 · writer
  • George Armour
    George Armour 1812–1881 · businessperson
  • Barbara Allison Armour
    Barbara Allison Armour 1826–1898 · socialite
  • Barbara Allison Armour
    Barbara Allison Armour 1826–1898 · socialite
  • John Douglas Armour
    John Douglas Armour 1830–1903 · judge
  • Daphne Armour d. 1986

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Armour,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States966 records

966 records of the Armour name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 274
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 201
  • Other U.S. records 491
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Amos G. Armour

    Born 1912 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1944 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi; asbesto from Hamilton County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1966, buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Thomas J. Armour

    Born 1930; from Wayne County, Michigan. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1952 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Armour

    Arrived at New York in 1849 aboard the Sir Colin Campbell from Belfast, aged 21; farmer. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 966 records for Armour in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia443 records

443 records of the Armour name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 174
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 137
  • Other Australian records 132
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Jean Armour

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Asia, sailing from London in 1847. Native of Glasgow, Lanarkshire.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robt Armour

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Malabar, aged 25; Scottish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record William G. Armour

    Enlisted in 1916 with the 4th Pioneers. Honoured on the Ballarat Avenue of Honour.

    City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU)

Showing 3 of 443 records for Armour in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Canada117 records

117 records of the Armour name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 70
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 15
  • Other Canadian records 32
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thos Armour

    Came to Ontario in 1872 aboard the Scan, landing at Quebec, bound for Lime House, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Robert Burnsley Armour

    Buried in 1998 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 72.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John Ormiston Armour

    Died 1937 in Westville, Pictou, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 117 records for Armour in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom22 records

22 records of the Armour name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 12
  • Stirling Council burial records 8
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 2
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record James Armour

    Born 1875 at Govan; cab driver. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Bremner Armour

    Died 2000, aged 92; buried at Strathblane Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record P. Armour

    King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 22 records for Armour in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand8 records

8 records of the Armour name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Armour

    Died 1961, aged 77; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Kenneth Ian Armour

    Died 1983, aged 70; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Annie Alfreda Armour

    Died 1974, aged 83; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Armour in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands5 records

5 records of the Armour name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record James Armour

    Married in 1777 in Rotterdam; born in London.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Anna Maria Armour

    Married in 1777 in Rotterdam; born in West-Minster.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Benjamin Armour

    Baptised in 1761 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Armour in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Armour.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Armour is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Armour volume
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