Show ContentsArmbrust History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Armbrust is derived from the German word "armbrust" meaning "crossbow;" as such, it was an occupational name perhaps for a soldier, who used a crossbow, or perhaps for a maker of crossbows.

Early Origins of the Armbrust family

The surname Armbrust was first found in Baden-Wurttemberg and northern Switzerland, where the name has been found in records dating from the 14th century. In 1326, there was a house known as the Armbruster house," in Strassburg (Urkundenbuch der Stadt Strassburg, von H. Witte, III, 251). Mesiter Ulrich der Armbroster of Regensburg was the bow-maker, or Armbrust, of the town of Heilbronn (Urkundenbuch der Stadt Heilbronn I, 203,) while Maister Hanns Armbroster was the town archer, or bow-maker, of Rottweil (Urkundenbuch der Stadt Rottweil, 372).

Early History of the Armbrust family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Armbrust research. More information is included under the topic Early Armbrust History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Armbrust Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Armbruster, Armbroster, Armbriester, Armpruster and many more.

Early Notables of the Armbrust family

More information is included under the topic Early Armbrust Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Armbrust migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Armbrust Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Armbrust, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804 [1]
  • Lewis Armbrust, who landed in Mississippi in 1843 [1]
  • Phil Armbrust, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1860 [1]
  • Marianne Armbrust, aged 14, who arrived in America in 1892 [1]
  • Michael Armbrust, aged 3, who landed in America in 1892 [1]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Armbrust Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Florian Armbrust, aged 4, who landed in New York, NY in 1901 [1]
  • Georg Armbrust, aged 8, who landed in New York, NY in 1901 [1]
  • Bertha Armbrust, who arrived in New York, NY in 1901 [1]
  • Marcus Armbrust, aged 3, who landed in New York, NY in 1901 [1]
  • Kasmir Armbrust, aged 9, who landed in New York, NY in 1901 [1]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Armbrust (post 1700) +

  • E. Virginia Armbrust, American biological oceanographer, professor, and current director of the University of Washington School of Oceanography
  • Tobin Armbrust (b. 1971), American film producer for Exclusive Media, known for his work on Firewall (2006), Let Me In (2010), The Woman in Black (2012), End of Watch (2012), Rush (2013), Begin Again (2013), and Dark Places (2014)
  • Heather Marie Armbrust (b. 1977), née Policky, an American professional female bodybuilder
  • Orville Martin Armbrust (1908-1967), American Major League Baseball pitcher who appeared in three games for the Washington Senators in 1934
  • Hans Armbrust (b. 1962), German professional footballer
  • Ronald Armbrust, Dutch stage and film actor, known for Black Book (2006), Alles is grijs (2014) and Boy Ecury (2003)
  • Barbara Armbrust (b. 1963), Canadian silver medalist Olympic rower at the 1984 Summer Olympics


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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