Driscol History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Before Irish names were translated into English, Driscol had a Gaelic form of Ó hEidersceoil, from the word eidirsceol, which means an intermediary. 1

Early Origins of the Driscol family

The surname Driscol was first found in the southern part of the county of Kerry. They were later forced out of this territory by the O'Sullivans, and migrated eastward, settling around Baltimore in the southwest of County Cork. They remain almost exclusively in this region today, despite the depredations of the neighboring O'Donovan and O'Mahony septs. 2

"The original habitat of the O'Driscolls was the Barony of West Carbery, in County Cork, where O'Driscoll was Lord of Baltimore, and possessed the Island of Cape Clear and adjacent territory. The great majority of the present Driscolls are to be found there." 3

The sept takes its name from Eidersceoil, who was born around 910 AD, and was in turn descended from Lughaide Laidhe, who was the ancestor of the Corca Laoidheclann which occupied the area of Cork belonging to the diocese of Ross. The variant Dirsicall was ten times more common than O'Driscoll eighty years ago, the situation has now been reversed.

Early History of the Driscol family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Driscol research. Another 216 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1460, 1698 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Driscol History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Driscol Spelling Variations

One name was often recorded under several different spellings during the life of its bearer. Scribes typically spelt the surname as they saw fit. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origin of the Driscol family name include Driscoll, O'Driscoll and others.

Early Notables of the Driscol family

Notable among the family name at this time was

Cornelius O'Driscoll, colonel in the Irish Brigade

Driscol migration to the United States +

Irish families fled the English-colonized Ireland in record numbers during the 19th century for North America. Many of those destitute families died from disease during, and even shortly after, the long journey. Although those that immigrated before the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s often were granted a tract of land, those that arrived later were generally accommodated in urban centers or in work camps. Those in the urban centers would labor in the manufacturing sector, whereas those in work camps would to build critical infrastructures such as bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Regardless of when these Irish immigrants came to North America, they were critical for the rapid development of the young nations of the United States and Canada. Early immigration and passenger lists have recorded many early immigrants bearing the name of Driscol:

Driscol Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Dennis Driscol, who arrived in New York, NY in 1865 4

Driscol migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Driscol Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Driscol, aged mariner, who arrived in St. Andrews, NB aboard the ship "Industry" in 1838

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
Matheson, Robert E., Special Report on Surnames in Ireland with Notes as to Numeric Strength, Derivation, Ethnology, and Distribution. Dublin: Alexander Thom & Co., 1894. 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)