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![Show Contents]() O'Neile History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Ireland
Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name O'Neile is Ó Néill, which means descendant of Niall, a personal name of Irish origin, thought to mean "champion." 1 "Of the very great antiquity of this distinguished name and family there can be no doubt." 2 Early Origins of the O'Neile familyThe surname O'Neile 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 O'Neile familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Neile research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1480, 1530, 1550, 1559, 1567, 1612, 1616, 1664, 1689 and 1694 are included under the topic Early O'Neile History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. O'Neile Spelling VariationsPronunciation, 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 O'Neile are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include O'Neill, Neal, Neale, Neales, Neil, Nihill, Niell, O'Nail, O'Neil, O'Niel and many more. Early Notables of the O'Neile familyNotable amongst the family name at this time was - Cormack O'Neile, Irish Member of the Patriot Parliament for Antrim in 1689
 O'Neile migration to the United States | + |
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 O'Neile family relocated to North American shores quite early:
O'Neile Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- James T. O'Neile, who arrived in America, in 1904
- Patrick O'Neile, aged 21, who arrived in America from Liverpool, England, in 1904
- Brendan O'Neile, aged 24, who arrived in America from Drumcondra, Ireland, in 1907
- Denis J. O'Neile, aged 24, who arrived in America from Sallins, Ireland, in 1909
- Peter O'Neile, who arrived in America from Liverpool, England, in 1919
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Contemporary Notables of the name O'Neile (post 1700) | + |
- R.J. O'Neile, Australian General Secretary of the Public Service Association of NSW (1945-1959)
- MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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O'Neile migration to the United States 
