MacCoyle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of MacCoyle

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

Early Origins of the MacCoyle family

Early History of the MacCoyle family

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

MacCoyle Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname MacCoyle are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name 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 MacCoyle family

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

Migration of the MacCoyle family

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish families leaving Ireland for the distant shores of North America and Australia. These families often left their homeland hungry, penniless, and destitute due to the policies of England. Those Irish immigrants that survived the long sea passage initially settled on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Some, however, moved north to a then infant Canada as United Empire Loyalists after ironically serving with the English in the American War of Independence. Others that remained in America later joined the westward migration in search of land. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, though, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America, and those who arrived were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. In fact, the foundations of today's powerful nations of the United States and Canada were to a larger degree built by the Irish. Archival documents indicate that members of the MacCoyle family relocated to North American shores 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.