Contents [hide]

Boyle History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Boyle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

Etymology of Boyle

What does the name Boyle mean?

The Irish surname Boyle comes from the Irish Gaelic Ó Baoighill, possibly derived from the earlier Irish word "baigell," which meant "having profitable pledges." 1

Early Origins of the Boyle family

The surname Boyle was first found in Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where they were descended from King Maoldun Baoghal (meaning "peril") of the Heremon line of Irish Kings. 2

Early History of the Boyle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boyle research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1078, 1164, 1296, 1566, 1574, 1588, 1607, 1609, 1612, 1617, 1621, 1623, 1639, 1643, 1644, 1646, 1667, 1679, 1682, 1687, 1694, 1698, 1699 and 1702 are included under the topic Early Boyle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boyle Spelling Variations

Names from the Middle Ages demonstrate many spelling variations. This is because the recording scribe or church official often decided as to how a person's name was spelt and in what language. Research into the name Boyle revealed many variations, including Boyle, O'Boyle, Boghill, Hill, Boile, Baoghal, Baole and many more.

Early Notables of the Boyle family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, (1566-1643), an English settler in Ireland
The Lady Alice Boyle, Countess of Barrymore, (1607-1667) was the eldest daughter and second child of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork
Richard Boyle (c.1574-1644), Archbishop of Tuam
Michael Boyle, the younger (1609?-1702), Archbishop of Armagh
Roger Boyle (1617?-1687), an Irish Protestant churchman, Bishop of Down and Connor and Bishop of Clogher
Charles Boyle, 3rd Viscount Dungarvan (c.1639-1694), a British peer and politician
Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery (1621-1679), British soldier, statesman and dramatist
Roger Boyle, 2nd Earl of Orrery (1646-1682), an Irish peer and politician
Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Burlington, 2nd Earl of Cork (1612-1698), Lord High Treasurer of Ireland
Francis Boyle, 1st Viscount Shannon (1623-1699), Privy Counselor of Ireland and Governor of County Cork

Boyle World Ranking

In the United States, the name Boyle is the 989^th most popular surname with an estimated 29,844 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Boyle is ranked the 821^st most popular surname with an estimated 6,535 people with that name. 4 And in Australia, the name Boyle is the 319^th popular surname with an estimated 11,125 people with that name. 5 New Zealand ranks Boyle as 443^rd with 1,535 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Boyle as 300^th with 20,127 people. 7

Boyle migration to the United States +

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Boyle or a variant listed above, including:

Boyle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Naamy Boyle, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 8
Christopher Boyle, who settled in Virginia in 1645
Ann Boyle, who landed in Virginia in 1657 8
Elizth Boyle, aged 21, who landed in New York in 1664 8

Boyle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Alexander Boyle, who landed in Virginia in 1716 8
Benjamin Boyle who settled in New Hampshire in 1718
Margaret Boyle, who arrived in New England in 1718 8
Baltzer Boyle, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1761 8
Henry Boyle, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Boyle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Irwin Boyle, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1803 8
James Boyle, who landed in America in 1805 8
Bernard Boyle, who landed in America in 1810 8
Catherine Boyle, who landed in Baltimore Maryland in 1811 8
Peter Boyle, who landed in America in 1811 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Boyle migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Boyle Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Robert Boyle U.E. who settled in Portland, New Brunswick c. 1783 9

Boyle Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Elener Boyle, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1812
Michael Boyle, who arrived in Canada in 1812
Mich Boyle, who arrived in Canada in 1812
Anne Boyle, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1818
Charles Boyle, aged 4, who landed in Canada in 1823
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Boyle migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Boyle Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Boyle, Irish convict who was convicted in Sligo, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Boyd" on 10th March 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Owen Boyle, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 11
John Boyle, Scottish convict from Glasgow, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mrs. Margaret Boyle, (Mary), (b. 1797), aged 26, English maid who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years for uttering forged notes, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 20th November 1823, arriving in New South Wales, Australia and Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1857 13
Mr. Henry Boyle, (b. 1818), aged 5, English settler travelling with Margaret Boyle convict, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 20th November 1823, arriving in New South Wales, Australia and Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Boyle migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Boyle Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

H Boyle, who landed in Bay of Islands, New Zealand in 1836 aboard the ship Patriot
Mr. Thomas Boyle, (b. 1805), aged 36, Irish settler born in County Tipperary arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 14
Mr. Edward Boyle, (b. 1841), aged 6, Irish settler born in North Shileds travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 14
Mrs. Ellen Boyle Née Fannan, (b. 1818), aged 29, Irish settler born in County Tipperary travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 14
Mr. James Boyle, (b. 1839), aged 8, Irish settler born in County Tipperary travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Boyle (post 1700) +

Francis Anthony Boyle (1950-2025), American human rights lawyer and professor of international law
Raymond Cornelius "Ray" Boyle (1923-2022), also credited as Dirk London, an American actor, best known for role as Morgan Earp, the brother of Wyatt Earp in fifteen episodes of The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, starring Hugh O'Brian
Michael David Boyle (1944-2021), American Democratic politician in Nebraska, Mayor of Omaha, and a member of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners
William Sebastian Boyle (1888-1949), American Democratic Party politician, Nevada Democratic State Chair, 1931 15
William F. Boyle, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Ohio, 1972 15
William Marshall Boyle Jr. (1903-1961), American Democratic Party politician, Director, Kansas City Police, 1939; Chairman of Democratic National Committee, 1949-51 15
William F. Boyle, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1960, 1964 15
William B. Boyle, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1948 15
Walter Fabien Boyle (b. 1875), American politician, U.S. Consul in Ceiba, 1914-15; Puerto Cortes, 1915-17; San Luis Potosi, 1924; Auckland, 1926-32; U.S. Consul General in Guatemala City, 1938-41 15
Walter Durley Boyle, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 18th District, 1950 15
... (Another 126 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Boyle family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. J. Boyle (1896-1917), Irish Seaman aboard the SS Curaca from Belfast, Ireland who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 16

HMS Royal Oak

William Boyle (1907-1939), British Leading Stoker with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 17

RMS Lusitania

Mr. James Boyle, Canadian 3rd Class passenger from Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 18
Miss Nicholas Boyle, English 3rd Class passenger residing in Chicago, Illinois, USA visiting Scotland, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 19

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Boyd
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/