Stranmillis is not a townland (it is situated in Malone Lower) but it is a minor name of some importance, recorded from the beginning of the 17th century. It is derived from Ir. An Sruthán Milis, ‘the sweet stream’, referring to a point on the River Lagan beyond which it ceases to be tidal and is therefore freshwater or 'sweet'. The name has been extended to a wider area, which has become a suburb of South Belfast.
Another point in common with townlands is the existence of an important house bearing the name. A castle was built at Stranmillis in 1611 by Sir Moyses Hill on land leased from Sir Arthur Chichester. This was replaced by Stranmillis House, built 1857-8. It is now part of Stranmillis University College, a teacher training institution which is a constituent part of Queen's University Belfast.
The minutes of the Town Improvement Committee 29 January 1881 indicate the naming of: “the public highway from University Road to the Borough Boundary, near the river Lagan, ‘Strandmillis Road’.”
There are blue plaques erected by the Ulster History Circle to commemorate artists William Conor (1881-1968) and Gladys MacCabe (1918-2018) at nos. 11a and 17 respectively. Each had a studio on Stranmillis Road.