Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name Nihill is Ó Néill, which means descendant of Niall, a
personal name of Irish origin, thought to mean "champion."
Early Origins of the Nihill family
The surname Nihill was first found in County
Tyrone (Irish: Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of
Ulster, central Northern
Ireland, and
County Clare where O'Neill was chief of
Clan Dalvy and of Tradree, a district in the barony of Inchiquinn. In the 10th century, a branch of this family went to
Limerick to assist in the expulsion of the Danes. After one victorious occasion they wore green boughs in their helmets and on their horses' heads signifying their victory.
Early History of the Nihill family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nihill research.
Another 215 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1480, 1559, 1530, 1567, 1550, 1616, 1612, 1664, 1694, 1689 and 1689 are included under the topic Early Nihill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Nihill Spelling Variations
The Middle Ages saw a great number of
spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Nihill were encountered in the archives: O'Neill, Neal, Neale, Neales, Neil, Nihill, Niell, O'Nail, O'Neil, O'Niel and many more.
Early Notables of the Nihill family (pre 1700)
Notable amongst the family name at this time was Sir Niall O'Neill who distinguished himself at the Battle of the Boyne; Conn O'Neill, 1st Earl of
Tyrone (c.1480-1559) King of Tir Eogain; Shane O'Neill (c.1530-1567), Irish king of the O'Neill dynasty of Ulster; Hugh O'Neill
(c. 1550-1616), Earl of
Tyrone, also...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nihill Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Nihill family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Nihill Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mary Nihill, aged 22, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Dirigo" [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
South Australian Register Thursday 23rd November 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Dirigo 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/dirigo1854.shtml. - Patrick Nihill, aged 28, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Australia"
- Bridget Nihill, aged 26, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Australia"
- Daniel Nihill, aged 28, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "North"