Home › Irish Surnames › Boyle

Irish surname

Boyle: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Baoighill · 'descendant of Baoigheall' (probably for baoithgheall, vain-pledge)

Woulfe (1923) gives O'Boyle and Boyle as anglicised forms of Ó Baoighill, one of the principal families of Cinel Conaill in Co. Donegal, of the same stock as the O'Donnells and O'Doghertys; their territory in west Donegal became 'O'Boyle's country', now the barony of Boylagh. Boyle is also the name of an English family: Richard Boyle, later Earl of Cork, whose family had been settled in Herefordshire for many generations, came to Ireland in 1588. In 1890 Boyle was Ireland's 47th commonest surname, about 13,000 people.

Shop Boyle crest giftsRead the history
Coat of arms associated with the Boyle surname
Irish formÓ Baoighill
Meaning'descendant of Baoigheall' (probably for baoithgheall, vain-pledge)
CountiesDonegal, Antrim, Mayo, Louth
Other spellings1
Welcome offer $10 off orders of $20 or more with code WELCOME10 One use per customer. Cannot be combined with other offers.

Boyle crest gifts

Clan Oboyle Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapPH48 Classic Cap - Oboyle Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Oboyle Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Boyle Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapPZ27 Classic Cap - Boyle Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Boyle Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Boyle Irish coat of arms glass ornaments, heart and round, hanging on a Christmas treeBoyle Coat of Arms – Irish Family Crest Glass Ornament£20.00Boyle Irish coat of arms acrylic ornament hanging on a Christmas treeBoyle Coat of Arms – Irish Family Crest Ornament£16.00O'Boyle Irish coat of arms glass ornaments, heart and round, hanging on a Christmas treeO'Boyle Coat of Arms – Irish Family Crest Glass Ornament£20.00O'Boyle Irish coat of arms acrylic ornament hanging on a Christmas treeO'Boyle Coat of Arms – Irish Family Crest Ornament£16.00

Origin of the Boyle name

Woulfe: the O'Boyles were originally chiefs of the Three Tuaths in north-west Donegal; when these passed to the MacSweeneys, O'Boyle became chief of Tir-Ainmhireach in west Donegal, thereafter Críoch Bhaoigheallach, 'O'Boyle's country', now the barony of Boylagh. The Earl of Cork's family, by contrast, 'had been settled in Herefordshire for many generations'.[1][2]

  1. late 1500sDuring the Elizabethan wars O'Boyles spread to nearly every county.[1]
  2. 1588English-born Richard Boyle lands in Ireland, 23 June.[2]
  3. 1620Richard Boyle created Viscount Dungarvan and Earl of Cork.[2]
  4. 1627Scientist Robert Boyle born at Lismore, 25 January.[3]
  5. 1890273 Boyle births registered, 189 of them in Ulster.[5]

Where in Ireland

Co. DonegalO'Boyle's country (Boylagh); 102 entries in 1890, joint third in the county with O'Donnell.[1][6]
Co. AntrimSecond county named for Boyle births in 1890.[5]
Co. MayoAmong the counties where Boyle was principally found in 1890.[5]
Co. Louth11 Boyle entries in the 1890 Births Index.[7]
Co. CorkRichard Boyle, Earl of Cork, built and fortified Bandon and defended Youghal after war broke out in 1641.[2]

Notable people named Boyle

Robert Boyle1627–1691Natural philosopher born at Lismore, one of the founders of the Royal Society; son of the Earl of Cork.[3]
Richard Boyle, Earl of Cork1566–1643Born at Canterbury; came to Ireland in 1588 and bought, at nominal prices, some of the vast confiscated estates.[2]
Roger Boyle, Earl of Orrery1621–1679Born at Lismore; soldier, President of Munster and author of plays and poems.[4]

Other spellings

O'Boyle[1]

The Boyle coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Boyle surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Boyle surname: questions

What does the surname Boyle mean?

Woulfe gives Boyle as an anglicised form of Ó Baoighill, 'descendant of Baoigheall', probably for baoithgheall, 'vain-pledge'.[1]

Is Boyle Irish or English?

Both. The Gaelic O'Boyles were a principal family of Cinel Conaill in Donegal. The Boyles who became Earls of Cork were an English family, settled in Herefordshire for many generations; Richard Boyle came to Ireland in 1588.[1][2]

Where in Ireland is the Boyle name from?

Co. Donegal: Woulfe says the O'Boyles' territory in the west of the county became known as 'O'Boyle's country', now the barony of Boylagh. In 1890 Boyle was joint third (with O'Donnell) in Donegal's Births Index.[1][6]

Was Robert Boyle Irish?

Webb records that Robert Boyle was born at Lismore in 1627, the seventh son of the Earl of Cork, whose family had long been settled in Herefordshire.[3][2]

Sources

  1. Ó Baoighill — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ob/o-baoighill.php
  2. Richard Boyle, Earl of Cork — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/RichardBoyle.php
  3. Robert Boyle — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/RobertBoyle.php
  4. Roger Boyle, Earl of Orrery — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/RogerBoyle.php
  5. Boyle — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/boyle.php
  6. Registration Province of Ulster (leading surnames by county, Births Index 1890) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/ulster-names.php
  7. Registration Province of Leinster (leading surnames by county, Births Index 1890) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/leinster-names.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).