Strong
A nickname surname for a person noted for physical strength or a forceful character.
The #760 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 6,796 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname comes from the Old English word strong or strang, meaning strong, powerful, or hard. In medieval records it began as a descriptive byname for a person of unusual strength or a forceful temperament. The same root also appears in related surnames such as Strongbow, Strongitharm, and Strongman.
History
English records show Strong as a long-established nickname surname, and the same descriptive pattern produced several longer forms built on the word strong. Nineteenth-century surname writers often compared it with French Le Fort, since both mean essentially the same thing. The name also became attached to notable medieval figures such as Ranulf Strongbow, which helped keep the root visible in later historical writing.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Old English root behind Strong also survives in famous medieval bynames like Strongbow and Strongitharm.
From the historical record
“STRODE, a M.E. form of Stroud, q.v. STRONG \ (Eng.) Powerful, Hard, STRONGE J S-E.WEKE.\U.E.strong{e,strang{e, O.E. Strang^ STRONG BOW (Eng.) a nickname[O.E. Strang, strong + boga, a bow] Ranulf Strongbowe.— HmmA Rolls. Richard of Clare, Earl of Pembroke and”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)