Show ContentsBoeile History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Boeile

What does the name Boeile mean?

Boeile is an ancient Scottish name that was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. It is a name for someone who lived in Lanarkshire. The Boeile surname is a habitational name, taken on from the place name Arbuckle (or Arnbuckle), in the parish of Airdrie, Lanarkshire. The Gaelic name for the place was earrann buachaille, meaning the "herdsman's portion" (of land).

Early Origins of the Boeile family

The surname Boeile was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow. John Arnbuckle was recorded as a witness in Irvine in 1499, and later John Arbuckle purchased a lot of land in the city of Glasgow in the year 1511. 1

Early History of the Boeile family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boeile research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1624, 1685, 1700, 1742, 1838 and 1912 are included under the topic Early Boeile History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boeile Spelling Variations

Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Boeile has been spelled Arbuckle, Arnbuckle, Arbukile, Arbukill, Arbuckell, Arbuckles, Arbucles, Arbucle, Arbukle and many more.

Early Notables of the Boeile family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Boeile Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Boeile family to Ireland

Some of the Boeile family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Boeile family

In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them: John Arbuckle who landed in America and settled in New Jersey in 1685; James Arbuckle settled in Augusta County VA. in 1762; Thomas Arbuckle settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1831.



  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook