Niel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Niel or a variant listed above, including:

Niel Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Nicho Niel, who arrived in Virginia in 1698 4

Niel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• James Niel, who arrived in New York in 1799 4
• John Niel, who landed in New York in 1799 4

Niel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Julius Niel, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1807 4
• Michael Niel, who arrived in New York in 1841 4
• H Niel, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
• Francisco Niel, aged 39, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1876 4

Niel Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Mary Niel, aged 27, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Fortune" 5

• Daniel Niel, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for California, 1948 6
• Niel Gow (1727-1807), Scottish violinist and composer, born at Inver, near Dunkeld, Perthshire, on 22 March 1727, son of a plaid weaver 7
• Niel Hornbuckle (b. 1991), South African first-class cricketer
• Niel van Deventer, South African producer and writer, known for Dis ek, Anna (2015), Teiken (2018) and Kamphoer (2018)
• Niel B. Nielson (b. 1954), American academic, former president of Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia
• Niel Gow (1727-1807), the most famous Scottish fiddler and dancie of the eighteenth century
• Niel Wright (b. 1933), New Zealand poet, literary critic, bibliographer, publisher, and cultural and political commentator