Doyal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Doyal

What does the name Doyal mean?

The spelling and overall form of Irish names often vary considerably. The original Gaelic form of the name Doyal is Ó Dubhghaill, derived from the words dubh, which means black, and ghall, which means foreigner, or "dubhgall," which meant "dark and tall." 1

Early Origins of the Doyal family

The surname Doyal was first found in the counties of Wicklow, Wexford, and Carlow. Although the name is now common throughout Ireland, it has always retained a close association with these southeastern Leinster counties. Although at least one historian gives their descent from Dubhgilla, King of Idrone in Leinster, more evidence points to descent from King Conn of the "Hundred Battles." His name comes from the hundreds of battles he fought and won, before his death in the 2nd century.

It is traditionally believed that the family takes its name from a Norseman who settled in Ireland prior to the Norman Conquest; a theory that is borne out by the fact that the Doyles tended to be more concentrated in the coastal regions favored by Norse settlers. Moreover, the Gaelic word dubhghall was used in early times to refer to a Norseman or Scandinavian. With the settlement of Norsemen in various places, several distinct septs called O Dubhghail probably arose independently. 2

Early History of the Doyal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Doyal research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1786, 1797, 1834, 1868, 1873 and 1917 are included under the topic Early Doyal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Doyal Spelling Variations

Names during the Middle Ages were often recorded under several different spelling variations during the life of their bearers. Literacy was rare at that time and so how a person's name was recorded was decided by the individual scribe. Variations of the name Doyal include Doyle, O'Doyle, Doyill, Doill, Doile, Doyel and others.

Early Notables of the Doyal family

Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Doyal Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Doyal Ranking

In the United States, the name Doyal is the 17,794^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Doyal family

In the late 18th century, Irish families began emigrating to North America in the search of a plot of land to call their own. This pattern of emigration grew steadily until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s cause thousands of Irish to flee the death and disease that accompanied the disaster. Those that made it alive to the shores of the United States and British North America (later to become Canada) were, however, instrumental in the development of those two powerful nations. Many of these Irish immigrants proudly bore the name of Doyal: Edward Doyle who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as early as 1683; Eliza Doyle settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1716; Elizabeth Doyle settled in Virginia in 1723.

Contemporary Notables of the name Doyal (post 1700) +

Professor Len Doyal (b. 1944), American Emeritus Professor of Medical Ethics at Queen Mary, University of London
Scot M. Doyal, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Texas State House of Representatives 144th District, 1994 4
E. T. Doyal, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Georgia, 1960 4

The Doyal Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fortitudine Vincit
Motto Translation: He conquers by fortitude.

Sources +

O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html