Kneale History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Kneale

What does the name Kneale mean?

Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name Kneale is Ó Néill, which means descendant of Niall, a personal name of Irish origin, thought to mean "champion." 1

"Of the very great antiquity of this distinguished name and family there can be no doubt." 2

Kneale Coat of Arms Creation

Two brothers of the race of Colla Uais saw the Isle of Islay from their native Ireland, and both, at the same time, resolved to possess it. Each got his birlinn ready with its full comple-ment of men, and the race began. When within a short distance of landing, one galley was a length ahead ; whereupon the brother in the galley behind, seeing that the race was about to be won by the other, placed his left hand on the gunwale and, with his own sword, cut it off and threw it ashore, saying as he did so, " Tha m' fhuil agus m' fheoil air tir romhad" ("My flesh and my blood are ashore ahead of you "). 3

Early Origins of the Kneale family

The surname Kneale was first found in County Tyrone (Irish: Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, and County Clare where O'Neill was chief of Clan Dalvy and of Tradree, a district in the barony of Inchiquinn. In the 10th century, a branch of this family went to Limerick to assist in the expulsion of the Danes.

After one victorious occasion they wore green boughs in their helmets and on their horses' heads signifying their victory.

Early History of the Kneale family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kneale research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1480, 1530, 1550, 1559, 1567, 1612, 1616, 1664, 1689 and 1694 are included under the topic Early Kneale History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kneale Spelling Variations

Those scribes in Ireland during the Middle Ages recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in this era many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Kneale family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including O'Neill, Neal, Neale, Neales, Neil, Nihill, Niell, O'Nail, O'Neil, O'Niel and many more.

Early Notables of the Kneale family

Sir Niall O'Neill who distinguished himself at the Battle of the Boyne; Conn O'Neill, 1st Earl of Tyrone (c.1480-1559) King of Tir Eogain; Shane O'Neill (c.1530-1567), Irish king of the O'Neill dynasty of Ulster; Hugh O'Neill (c. 1550-1616), Earl of Tyrone, also known as the Great Earl, Leader of the resistance during the Nine Years War...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kneale Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kneale migration to the United States +

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Kneale or a variant listed above:

Kneale Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Kneale, who landed in New York in 1860 4

Kneale migration to Australia +

Kneale Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Kneale, British convict who was convicted in Isle of Man for 14 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 1st October 1829, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
T. Kneale, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John Woodall" in 1849 6
Thomas Kneale, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Constitution" in 1851 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Kneale (post 1700) +

Robert Bryan Charles Kneale M.B.E. (1930-2025), born in Douglas, Isle of Man, British Artist and Sculptor, appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to British Art 8

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN WOODALL 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849JohnWoodall.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CONSTITUTION 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Constitution.htm
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists