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O'Toole: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Tuathail · 'descendant of Tuathal' (people-mighty)

Woulfe (1923) gives O'Toole as Ó Tuathail, 'descendant of Tuathal' (people-mighty), the name of at least two distinct families, in Leinster and Ulster. The Leinster O'Tooles, 'one of the most illustrious families of that province', were driven from Kildare after the Anglo-Norman invasion and settled in the Wicklow mountains. In 1890 Matheson counted 100 Toole and 39 O'Toole births in Ireland, each total including spelling varieties.

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Coat of arms associated with the O'Toole surname
Irish formÓ Tuathail
Meaning'descendant of Tuathal' (people-mighty)
CountiesWicklow, Kildare, Dublin, Galway
Other spellings8
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O'Toole crest gifts

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Origin of the O'Toole name

The Leinster O'Tooles descend from Tuathal, son of Ughaire, King of Leinster, who died in 956. Their clan-name, Ui Muireadhaigh, became their territory: the southern half of Co. Kildare. Driven out by Walter de Riddlesford, they settled in Wicklow (Ui Mail, then Feara Cualann). A branch settled in West Connacht; the Ulster family is a branch of the Cinel Eoghain.[1]

  1. 956Death of Tuathal, son of Ughaire, King of Leinster, ancestor of the O'Tooles.[1]
  2. 1132Laurence O'Toole born, it is said near Castledermot.[7]
  3. 1161Laurence O'Toole appointed Archbishop of Dublin.[7]
  4. 1180Laurence O'Toole dies at Eu, Normandy, 14 November.[7]
  5. 1226Laurence O'Toole canonized by Honorius III.[7]
  6. 1327Holinshed, under that date: Adam Duff O'Toole burnt at the stake beside Dublin.[8]
  7. 1890Matheson: 100 Toole and 39 O'Toole births, each including spelling varieties.[3][4]

Where in Ireland

Co. WicklowMountain homeland (Ui Mail, Feara Cualann) after leaving Kildare; Toole 14 in Wicklow's 1890 table.[1][5]
Co. KildareOriginal territory, Ui Muireadhaigh, the southern half of the present county.[1][7]
Co. DublinFirst county named for both Toole and O'Toole births in 1890.[3][4]
Co. GalwayWest Connacht branch, 'still numerous in Mayo and Galway'; Toole 25 in Galway's 1890 table.[1][6]
Co. MayoWest Connacht branch, 'still numerous in Mayo and Galway' (Woulfe).[1][3]
Co. LimerickNamed with Dublin and Wicklow for O'Toole (with the O) births in 1890.[4]

Notable people named O'Toole

Saint Laurence O'Toole1132–1180Abbot of Glendalough, then Archbishop of Dublin from 1161; canonized in 1226.[7]
Adam Duff O'TooleHolinshed, under date 1327Holinshed: 'a gentleman of the familie of the O'Toolies in Leinster'; burnt at the stake beside Dublin for his religious convictions.[8]

Other spellings

Toole · Toal · Toale · Tohill · Tuohill · Twohill · Toughill · Towell[1][2]

The O'Toole coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the O'Toole 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.

O'Toole surname: questions

What does the surname O'Toole mean?

Woulfe gives O'Toole as Ó Tuathail, 'descendant of Tuathal' (people-mighty).[1]

Where in Ireland are the O'Tooles from?

The Leinster O'Tooles first held the southern half of Co. Kildare, then settled in the Wicklow mountains after the Anglo-Norman invasion. Woulfe says a branch in West Connacht is still numerous in Mayo and Galway.[1]

Are Toole and O'Toole the same name?

Woulfe lists Toole and O'Toole among the anglicised forms of Ó Tuathail. He also gives a separate, very rare Connacht name, Mac Tuathail, anglicised MacToole and Toole.[1][2]

Who were the O'Tooles allied with?

Woulfe says the Leinster O'Tooles, with their kinsmen the O'Byrnes, 'carried on incessant warfare with the English for a period of four hundred years'.[1]

Who was Saint Laurence O'Toole?

Webb says he was born in 1132, became Abbot of Glendalough and in 1161 Archbishop of Dublin, died at Eu in Normandy in 1180 and was canonized in 1226.[7]

Sources

  1. Ó Tuathail – Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ot/o-tuathail.php
  2. Mac Tuathail – Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/mact/mac-tuathail.php
  3. Toole – Birth Indexes of 1890 – Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/toole.php
  4. O'Toole – Birth Indexes of 1890 – Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/otoole.php
  5. 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
  6. Registration Province of Connaught (leading surnames by county, Births Index 1890) – Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/connaught-names.php
  7. Laurence O'Toole – A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/LaurenceOToole.php
  8. Adam Duff O'Toole – A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/AdamDuffOToole.php

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