Colye History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Colye

The Irish name Colye was originally written in a Gaelic form as Mac Giolla Chomhgaill, denoting a devotee of St. Comgal.

Early Origins of the Colye family

Early History of the Colye family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colye research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the year 1641 is included under the topic Early Colye History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colye Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname Colye can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Coyle, Coyl, Coyles, M'Illhoyle, Coile, Coil, M'Coyle, O'Coyle, Coiles, Coyls, Coils, Koyle, Koyles, Koyl, Koill, Koiles, Coylle, Coylles and many more.

Early Notables of the Colye family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Colye Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Colye family

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Colye family came to North America quite early: Alexander, Andrew, Bernard, Daniel, Edward, Francis, Hugh, James, John, Michael, Patrick, Peter, Thomas, and William Coyle, who all arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1820 and 1870.