Contents [hide]

Toole History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies South Africa

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Sources

Toole History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Toole

What does the name Toole mean?

Throughout history, very few Irish surnames have exclusively maintained their original forms. Before being translated into English, Toole appeared as Ó Tuathail, which is derived from "tuathal," which means "people mighty."

Early Origins of the Toole family

The surname Toole was first found in County Kildare (Irish:Cill Dara), ancient homeland of the Kildare based Uí Dúnlainge (Kings of Leinster), located in the Province of Leinster, seated at O'Toole's Castle, where they were descended from Tuathal, King of Leinster who died in 950 A.D.

Early History of the Toole family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Toole research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1128, 1180, 1225, 1327, 1590, 1670 and 1722 are included under the topic Early Toole History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Toole Spelling Variations

Just like the English language, the Gaelic language of Ireland was not standardized in the Middle Ages. Therefore, one's name was often recorded under several different spellings during the life of its bearer. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origins of the Toole family name include Toole, Tool, O'Toole, O'Tool, Tooley, Toile and many more.

Early Notables of the Toole family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

St. Laurence O'Toole
Lorcán Ua Tuathail, also known as St Laurence O'Toole, (1128-1180), Archbishop of Dublin, canonized in 1225 by Pope Honorius III

Toole Ranking

In the United States, the name Toole is the 5,470^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Toole migration to the United States +

Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name Toole to North America:

Toole Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Toole, who settled in Virginia in 1655
Mary Toole, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1683
Mary Toole, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1684 2

Toole Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Toole, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1766 2

Toole Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jane Toole, aged 28, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803 2
Laurence Toole, aged 22, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 2
Marcus Toole, aged 39, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803 2
Luke Toole, aged 28, who arrived in New York, NY in 1804 2
Luke Toole, who settled in New York in 1804
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Toole migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Toole Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Maurice Toole, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1757 3
Mr. James Edward Toole U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 4
Mr. John Toole U.E. (b. 1753) who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 he became a Freeman in 1785, died in 1827 4

Toole Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Judith Toole, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Trafalgar" from Galway, Ireland
Cornelius Toole, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843
Mr. Hugh Toole, aged 55 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Rose" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 5
Miss. Margaret Toole, aged 16 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Lady Campbell" departing from the port of Dublin, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 5
Miss. Mary Toole, aged 1 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Constitution" departing from the port of Belfast, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in June 1847 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Toole migration to Australia +

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

Toole Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Ann Toole, British Convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
George Toole, a cooper, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
Patrick Toole, a bricklayer, who arrived in Van Diemenâ€™s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Miss Mary Toole, (Bennett), (b. 1809), aged 20, Irish nurse girl who was convicted in Wicklow, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Edward" on 1st January 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Miss Margaret Toole, (b. 1813), aged 24, Irish servant who was convicted in County Offaly (King's County), Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Diamond" on 29th November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Toole 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:

Toole Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Toole, who landed in Wanganui, New Zealand in 1840
Edward Toole, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Era" in 1855
Margaret Toole, aged 40, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Era" in 1855
Eleanor Toole, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Era" in 1855
Henry Toole, aged 6, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Era" in 1855

Toole migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 9

Toole Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mary Toole, who settled in Barbados in 1677

Contemporary Notables of the name Toole (post 1700) +

Steve Toole (1859-1919), American professional baseball player
Melinda Toole, American beauty queen; Miss Alabama 2006
K. Ross Toole (1920-1981), American historian and author
Joseph Toole (1851-1929), American politician from Montana; governor of Montana 1889â€“93
John Kennedy Toole (1937-1969), American novelist posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981
Glover Glendenning Toole, American politician, Mayor of Macon, Georgia, 1918-21, 1930-33 10
George D. Toole, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Montana, 1932 10
G. L. Toole, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Carolina, 1928 10
G. B. Toole, American politician, Member of Georgia State House of Representatives from Decatur County, 1923-24 10
Frampton Wyman Toole Jr., American politician, Member of South Carolina State Senate 23rd District, 1967-68 10
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Toole family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. John Toole, British Fireman from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 11

RMS Lusitania

Mr. James Toole, Irish Fireman from Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 12

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
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
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 58)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Diamond
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/