Show ContentsBoillen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original Gaelic form of Boillen was Ó Baoighealláin. 1

Early Origins of the Boillen family

The surname Boillen was first found in Fermanagh (Irish: Fear Manach) in the southwestern part of Northern Ireland, Province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from ancient times, and were descended from the Heremon line of Kings, more specifically King Colla da Crioch, one of the three famous Kings of Colla, 357 A.D. 2

Early History of the Boillen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boillen research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Boillen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boillen Spelling Variations

Names from the Middle Ages demonstrate many spelling variations. This is because the recording scribe or church official often decided as to how a person's name was spelt and in what language. Research into the name Boillen revealed many variations, including Boylan, Boyland, O'Boylan and others.

Early Notables of the Boillen family

More information is included under the topic Early Boillen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Boillen family

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Boillen or a variant listed above, including: George Boylan who settled in Barbados in 1654; Charles, James, John, Michael, several Patricks, Thomas Boylan, arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.



  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)


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