Show ContentsDoyle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Doyle Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Doyle

What does the name Doyle mean?

The spelling and overall form of Irish names often vary considerably. The original Gaelic form of the name Doyle is Ó Dubhghaill, derived from the words dubh, which means black, and ghall, which means foreigner, or "dubhgall," which meant "dark and tall." (O'Hart)

Early Origins of the Doyle family

The surname Doyle was first found in the counties of Wicklow, Wexford, and Carlow. Although the name is now common throughout Ireland, it has always retained a close association with these southeastern Leinster counties. Although at least one historian gives their descent from Dubhgilla, King of Idrone in Leinster, more evidence points to descent from King Conn of the "Hundred Battles." His name comes from the hundreds of battles he fought and won, before his death in the 2nd century.

It is traditionally believed that the family takes its name from a Norseman who settled in Ireland prior to the Norman Conquest; a theory that is borne out by the fact that the Doyles tended to be more concentrated in the coastal regions favored by Norse settlers. Moreover, the Gaelic word dubhghall was used in early times to refer to a Norseman or Scandinavian. With the settlement of Norsemen in various places, several distinct septs called O Dubhghail probably arose independently. 1

Early History of the Doyle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Doyle research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1786, 1797, 1834, 1868, 1873 and 1917 are included under the topic Early Doyle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Doyle Spelling Variations

Names written in official documents were generally spelt as they sounded, leading to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion in records of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Doyle that are preserved in documents of the family history are Doyle, O'Doyle, Doyill, Doill, Doile, Doyel and others.

Early Notables of the Doyle family

  • James "J.K.L." Doyle (1786-1834), Bishop of Kildare and Leighlan
  • Father William Doyle (1873-1917)
  • John "H.B." Doyle (1797-1868), contributor to "Punch" and grandfather of Arthur Conan Doyle

Doyle World Ranking

the United States, the name Doyle is the 419th most popular surname with an estimated 67,149 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Doyle is ranked the 284th most popular surname with an estimated 15,204 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Doyle is the 912nd popular surname. 4 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Doyle as 106th with 318 people. 5 Australia ranks Doyle as 171st with 18,411 people. 6 New Zealand ranks Doyle as 531st with 1,310 people. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Doyle as 252nd with 23,854 people. 8

Doyle migration to the United States +

Irish families began to immigrate to British North America and the United States in the 18th century, but the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. The earlier settlers came to North America after a great deal of consideration and by paying relatively high fees for their passage. These settlers were primarily drawn by the promise of land. Those later settlers that came during the 1840's were trying to escape the conditions of poverty, starvation, disease, and death that had stricken Ireland. Due to the enormity of their numbers and the late date of their arrival, these immigrants primarily became hired laborers instead of homesteading settlers like their predecessors. An exhaustive search of immigration and passenger lists has revealed many Irish immigrants North America bearing the name Doyle:

Doyle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Edward Doyle who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as early as 1683
  • Ed Doyle, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1683 10
Doyle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Owen Doyle, who arrived in Maryland in 1711 10
  • Elizabeth Doyle, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1716 10
  • Eliza Doyle, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1716
  • Thomas Doyle, who arrived in Virginia in 1717 10
  • Elizabeth Doyle, who settled in Virginia in 1723
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Doyle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Lawrence Doyle, who landed in America in 1800 10
  • Walter Doyle, who landed in America in 1801 10
  • Patk Doyle, aged 20, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 10
  • Margaret Doyle, aged 34, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 10
  • Michael Doyle, aged 27, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Doyle migration to Canada +

Doyle Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • James Doyle, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749
  • James Doyle, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Darby Doyle, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Mr. Francis Drake U.E. who settled in Queensbury, York County, New Brunswick c. 1784 11
Doyle Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John Doyle, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1801
  • Lawrence Doyle, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1803
  • Johanna Doyle, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1807
  • Mary Doyle, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1810
  • Margaret Doyle, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1816
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Doyle migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the First Fleet, Second Fleet and Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

First Fleet
  • Miss Ann Doyle, (1769 - 1822), aged 18, British settler convicted in Kent, England in 1787, sentenced to 7 years for breaking and entering, transported aboard the ship "Lady Juliana" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 9
Second Fleet
  • Mr. Michael Doyle, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1787, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Albermarle" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 10
Third Fleet
Following the First, Second and Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Doyle Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Doyle 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:

Doyle Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Doyle, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cashmere" in 1851 13
  • Mr. Michael Doyle, (b. 1840), aged 20, Irish labourer from Dublin travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "William Miles" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st August 1860 14
  • Mrs. Bridget Doyle, (b. 1842), aged 18, Irish settler from Dublin travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "William Miles" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st August 1860 14
  • Mr. John Doyle, (b. 1836), aged 26, Scottish ploughman, from Kirkcudbrightshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 14
  • Mr. Doyle, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sebastopol" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st May 1863 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Doyle (post 1700) +

  • Chris Doyle (b. 1968), American football coach
  • Christopher "Chris" Doyle (1959-2025), American multi-media artist who worked and lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Mexico City, and Blue Hill, Maine
  • Matthew Doyle (1954-2025), Irish-born, American professional tour tennis player, a long-time Irish Davis Cup player who after retiring from playing, he was Ireland's coach for several years
  • William T. Doyle (1926-2024), American politician, academic, and author, Member of the Vermont Senate (1969-2017)
  • Lauren Doyle (b. 1991), American rugby sevens player, who competed at the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Olympic games
  • Robert Dennis "Denny" Doyle (1944-2022), American Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, California Angels, and Boston Red Sox
  • Peter G. Doyle, American mathematician of circle packing who identified the Doyle spiral, a pattern of non-crossing circles in a plane in the late 1980s or early 1990s
  • Debra Doyle (1952-2020), American author
  • Amanda Lenker Doyle, two-time American Casting Society of America Award nominated casting manager
  • ... (Another 173 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Halifax Explosion
  • Master John Thomas Fred  Doyle (1908-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 15
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Ann  Doyle (1885-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 16
  • Miss Gertrude Helen Louise  Doyle (1915-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 16
  • Mr. Edward Francis Doyle (1922-1941), Australian Able Seaman from Prospect, South Australia, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 16
  • Mr. Thomas Doyle, British Stoker Petty Officer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 17
  • ... (Another 15 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Doyle Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fortitudine Vincit
Motto Translation: He conquers by fortitude.

Suggested Readings for the name Doyle +

  • Patrick Doyle and Timothy Keane, Their Families and Descendants by Clarke L. Neal.
  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  4. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  5. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  6. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  7. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  8. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  9. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  10. 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)
  11. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  13. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
  16. HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
  17. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html

Houseofnames.com on Facebook