Wishlist
Menu
Cart
HouseofNames
Wishlist
Cart

Show ContentsO'Neal Surname History

  • Origins Available:
  • Ireland Ireland
Product

Extended Surname History Download (PDF) - Letter Size

Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name O'Neal 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

Early Origins of the O'Neal family

The surname O'Neal 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 O'Neal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Neal 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 O'Neal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Neal Spelling Variations

Before widespread literacy came to Ireland, a name was often recorded under several different variations during the life of its bearer. Accordingly, numerous spelling variations were revealed in the search for the origin of the name O'Neal family name. Variations found include O'Neill, Neal, Neale, Neales, Neil, Nihill, Niell, O'Nail, O'Neil, O'Niel and many more.

Early Notables of the O'Neal family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was 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...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Neal Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Neal Ranking

In the United States, the name O'Neal is the 540th most popular surname with an estimated 54,714 people with that name. 3

United States O'Neal migration to the United States +

Thousands of Irish families left for North American shores in the 19th century. These people were searching for a life unencumbered with poverty, hunger, and racial discrimination. Many arrived to eventually find such conditions, but many others simply did not arrive: victims of the diseased, overcrowded ships in which they traveled to the New World. Those who lived to see North American shores were instrumental in the development of the growing nations of Canada and the United States. A thorough examination of passenger and immigration lists has disclosed evidence of many early immigrants of the name O'Neal:

O'Neal Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Owen O'Neal, who settled in Virginia in 1751
O'Neal Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Arthur O'Neal, aged 55, who settled in America, in 1894
  • Claude O'Neal, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States, in 1896
O'Neal Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Dudley S. O'Neal, aged 18, who landed in America from Barbados, in 1903
  • Edward O'Neal, aged 47, who settled in America, in 1910
  • Charles H. O'Neal, aged 42, who settled in America, in 1910
  • Bernard O'Neal, who landed in America, in 1911
  • Ella O'Neal, aged 1, who landed in America, in 1912
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada O'Neal migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

O'Neal Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Ebenezer W. O'Neal, aged 36, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1924

Australia O'Neal migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

O'Neal Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James O'neal, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duke of Portland" in January 1807, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • Mr. John O'neal, (O'Neil), English tailor who was convicted in Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
  • Mr. Charles O'neal, Irish convict from Monaghan who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Mr. John O'Neal, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emperor Alexander"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
  • Mr. George O'Neal, (O'Neale), (b. 1811), aged 23, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand O'Neal migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

O'Neal Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Charlotte O'Neal, (b. 1839), aged 17, British general servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Isabella Hercus" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th January 1856 9
  • John O'Neal, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Reiherstieg" in 1864
  • Catherine O'Neal, aged 27, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Reiherstieg" in 1864
  • Stephen O'Neal, aged 4, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Reiherstieg" in 1864
  • Mary O'Neal, aged 6, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Reiherstieg" in 1864

Contemporary Notables of the name O'Neal (post 1700) +

  • Shaquille O'Neal (b. 1972), Former Professional Basketball player for the NBA
  • Ryan O'Neal (1941-2023), American actor and amateur boxer, born in Los Angeles, known for his roles in the ABC nighttime soap opera Peyton Place and the romantic drama Love Story (1970), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, father of Tatum O'Neal
  • Lilliana Belardo de O'Neal, American Republican politician, Member of Virgin Islands legislature from St. Croix, 1981-86, 1989-96; Defeated, 2000; Candidate for Delegate to U.S. Congress from the Virgin Islands, 2002 10
  • Edward Asbury O'Neal (1818-1890), Confederate officer during the American Civil War, 26th Governor of Alabama
  • Emmet O'Neal (1853-1922), American Democratic politician and lawyer, 34th Governor of Alabama
  • Deltha Lee O'Neal III (b. 1977), former American college and professional football player
  • John William "Bill" O'Neal (b. 1942), American author
  • Griffin Patrick O'Neal (b. 1964), American actor
  • Alexander O'Neal (b. 1953), American R&B singer
  • Patrice Malcolm O'Neal (1969-2011), American stand-up comedian, radio personality, and actor
  • ... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duke-of-portland
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emperor-alexander
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Houseofnames.com on Facebook