Show ContentsHoyle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Hoyle Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Hoyle

What does the name Hoyle mean?

The English name Hoyle derives from the Old English word "holh" meaning "hole." Today, the more common variants Hoyle and Hoile, both denote the Yorkshire local denoting a "dweller in, or near, a hollow, or low land." 1 Another noted author sums up the origin this way: "a south Yorkshire dialectal pronunciation of HOLE." 2

Early Origins of the Hoyle family

The surname Hoyle was first found in Yorkshire where "Hoile House, so called from being situate in a hole or bottom, gave name to a family who resided there as late as the beginning of the last century (1600), if not later. It is reckoned a very ancient situation, but has nothing remarkable about it now." Watson's Halifax, 1775. A respectable family of the name still existing deduce their pedigree from Edw. Hoyle of Hoyle House in 1528; but there are other local sources which may in some instances have originated the name, as Hoile House, co. Dumfries, Hoyle, a hamlet in West Sussex. There is, or was, in Kent a family of Hoile, but from Hasted it would appear that their name was originally Hild. Hole and Hoole frequently interchange with Hoyle, and are doubtless synonymous." 3

"The old family of Hoyle of Hoyle House date back about three centuries (W. and L.). Thomas Hoyle, merchant, was lord mayor of York in 1632 and 1644." 4

"In Yorkshire and Lancashire hole is still dialectically hoyle. Any one who lived in a round hollow or pit would be Thomas or Ralph in the Hoyle." 5

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 elude to the popularity of the name in that area: Alicia in le Hoyle; Alicia del Hoyle; and Willelmus de Hoyles; all appeared in that census. 5

In Scotland, "there is a Holl near Kirriemuir and another near Meigle, Perthshire, and there are lands named Holl or Hoyle in Forfar Retours. There is also a Holl or Hole in Ayrshire. Jacobus Hoyle, burgess of Anstruther, 1669 and Agnes Hoill was married in Edinburgh, 1692." 6

Early History of the Hoyle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hoyle research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1590, 1609, 1613, 1654, 1672, 1741, 1742, 1763 and 1769 are included under the topic Early Hoyle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoyle Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. The earliest explanation for the preponderance of spelling variations is that when Welsh surnames were in Welsh and accordingly were difficult to translate into English. It was therefore up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Hoyle have included Hoyle, Hoile and others.

Early Notables of the Hoyle family

  • Edmond Hoyle (1672-1769), English writer and authority on card games, originator of the phrase 'according to Hoyle.' "Hoyle is said to have been called to the bar. In 1741 he was living in Queen Squar...
  • Joshua Hoyle (d. 1654), was a English Puritan divine, "born at Sowerby, near Halifax, Yorkshire, and educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford. Being invited to Dublin, probably by relatives, he became fellow...

Hoyle Ranking

the United States, the name Hoyle is the 2,893rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Hoyle family to Ireland

Some of the Hoyle family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoyle migration to the United States +

During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Hoyle:

Hoyle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Jeremiah Hoyle, who settled in Virginia in 1638
  • Seth Hoyle, who arrived in Maryland in 1669 9
Hoyle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Kath Hoyle, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 9
  • Peter Hoyle, who arrived in North Carolina in 1738 9
  • Jurig Thomas Hoyle, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1739 9
  • Henrick Hoyle, aged 40, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1739 9
  • George Hoyle, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1760 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hoyle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert Hoyle, who landed in New York in 1812 9
  • Luke Hoyle, aged 15, who landed in Connecticut in 1812 9
  • Jackson P Hoyle, aged 36, who landed in North Carolina in 1812 9
  • Henry Hoyle, who arrived in New York in 1820 9
  • William Hoyle, who arrived in New York with his wife and child in 1820
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet
  • Mr. Henry Hoyle, British settler convicted in Lancashire, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Atlantic" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 8
Following the Second Fleet, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Hoyle Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Luke Hoyle, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
  • Mr. James Hoyle, English convict who was convicted in Devon, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
  • Mr. James Hoyle, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • Jesse Hoyle, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Glenswilly" in 1839 13
  • Robin Hoyle, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Glenswilly" in 1839 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hoyle Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Martha Hoyle, aged 17, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arawa" in 1884
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14
Hoyle Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Elizabeth Hoyle, who settled in Barbados in 1663
  • David W. Hoyle (1939-2023), American politician, Member of the North Carolina General Assembly from 1993 to 2010, Secretary of Revenue from 2010 to 2013
  • Major-General Rene Edward De Russy Hoyle (1883-1981), American Commanding General 9th Division (1940-1942) 15
  • Timothy Hoyle, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Clinton County, 1856 16
  • Robert T. Hoyle, American politician, Candidate in primary for Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, 1985 17
  • Peter Hoyle, American politician, Member of North Carolina House of Commons from Lincoln County, 1802-08, 1810-13, 1815-17; Member of North Carolina State Senate from Lincoln County, 1819 17
  • K. R. Hoyle, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Carolina, 1916 17
  • Henry Hoyle, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Lacolle, 1884-98 17
  • George V. Hoyle, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Clinton County, 1853-54 17
  • Andrew Hoyle, American politician, Member of North Carolina State Senate from Lincoln County, 1807-09 17
  • ... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Hood
  • Mr. Sidney Hoyle (b. 1923), English Ordinary Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Openshaw, Lancashire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 17
  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. 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)
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  9. 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)
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
  13. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) GLENSWILLY 1839 (also called DAWSONS). Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Glenswilly.htm
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  15. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 30) Rene Hoyle. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Hoyle/Rene_Edward_De_Russy/USA.html
  16. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  17. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm

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