Guilfoile History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Guilfoile

The spelling and overall form of Irish names often vary considerably. The original Gaelic form of the name Guilfoile is Mac Giolla Phoil, denoting the descendant of a follower of St. Paul.

Early Origins of the Guilfoile family

Early History of the Guilfoile family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guilfoile research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1576 is included under the topic Early Guilfoile History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guilfoile 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 Guilfoile that are preserved in documents of the family history are Gilfoyle, MacGilfoyle, MacIlfoyle, Guilfoyle and many more.

Early Notables of the Guilfoile family

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

Migration of the Guilfoile family

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish migrating out of their homeland in a great measure due to the oppressive imperial policies of the English government and landowners. Many of these Irish families sailed to North America aboard overcrowded passenger ships. By far, the largest influx of Irish immigrants to North America occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These particular immigrants were instrumental in creation of the United States and Canada as major industrial nations because the many essential elements such as the roadways, canals, bridges, and railways required an enormous quantity of cheap labor, which these poor immigrants provided. Later generations of Irish in these countries also went on to make valuable contributions in such fields as the arts, commerce, politics, and education. Extensive research into immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Guilfoile: Michael Gilfoyle who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1872; Michael Gilfoil settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1852; followed by John Gilfoil in 1858.