Show ContentsOyler History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Oyler surname is generally thought to derive from a place name, perhaps Pont Doylly, or Duilly in Normandy. Alternatively, the Oyler, Ollier and similar spellings could have been derived from the English occupational name for an extractor or seller of oil having derived from the Anglo-Norman French word "olier" from "oile." In northern England linseed oil was commonly derived from flax and used as a substitute for olive oil. 1

Early Origins of the Oyler family

The surname Oyler was first found in Oxfordshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 2 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Eynsham held by Columban, a Norman noble as under tenant of the Bishop of Lincoln who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. His overlord was Robert d'Ouilli.

Early History of the Oyler family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Oyler research. Another 182 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1071, 1073, 1120, 1129, 1354, 1542, 1573, 1576, 1577, 1585, 1605, 1614, 1616, 1633, 1640, 1641, 1663, 1666, 1677, 1709 and 1815 are included under the topic Early Oyler History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Oyler Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Doyley, D'Oyley, Doyle, D'Oyle, Doylee, Doley, Duley, Duly, Duely, Dueley, Ollie, Oyler, Oylie, D'Oyly, Olley, Oulley, Oullie, Ollie, Owley, Oyly, Oilli, Oiley, L'Oyle and many more.

Early Notables of the Oyler family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas D'Oyley (fl. 1585), English antiquary, the second son of Sir Henry D'Oyly, knight, of Pondhall in the parish of Hadleigh, Suffolk; Robert D'Oyley (1542-1577) of Hambleden, Buckinghamshire, who was Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1573; and Sir Cope Doyley (d. 1633), who inherited Hambleden Manor, Buckinghamshire in...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Oyler Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Oyler Ranking

In the United States, the name Oyler is the 7,256th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3


Oyler migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Oyler Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Samuel Oyler, who landed in Tippecanoe County, Indiana in 1842 4
  • Potter Oyler, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1896 aboard the ship "Paris" from Southampton, England 5
Oyler Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Lotta T. Oyler, aged 50, originally from London, England, who arrived in New York in 1908 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England 5
  • David Smith Oyler, aged 6, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Canada" from Naples, Italy 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Oyler (post 1700) +

  • Tom Oyler, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Senator from Kansas, 1998 6
  • Samuel Petitt Oyler (1819-1898), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 1860; Member of Indiana State Senate, 1865-67; Circuit Judge in Indiana, 1869-70 6
  • Lawrence E. Oyler, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 1943-58 6
  • J. Price Oyler, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1940 6
  • Chris Oyler, American author, AIDS survivor and activist, best known for his book Go Toward the Light, the basis for the 1988 made-for-television movie of the same name
  • Raymond Francis Oyler (1938-1981), American Major League Baseball shortstop
  • Andrew Paul "Pepper" Oyler (1880-1970), American Major League Baseball third baseman


  1. Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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