DOYLE Surname Meaning & Origin:

Among the most popular and ancient surnames of Ireland, the last name Doyle derives from the Gaelic personal name Dhubh-ghall, meaning "dark stranger," from the Irish words dubh, "black" and gall, "stranger." The "black" refers to hair color and not skin color.

A number of Doyle coats of arms incorporate the motto Fortitudine Vincit, which means "He conquers by strength.

Irish Doyle families are most often found in the East, Southeast, and Midlands regions of Ireland. There is also a high concentration of Doyles found in County Kerry in the southwest.

DOYLE is one of 50 common Irish surnames of modern Ireland.

Surname Origin:

Irish

Alternate Surname Spellings:

MACDOWELL, MCDOWELL, MACDOUGALL, MCDOUGALL, MCDOUGAL, DOYLEY, DOYILL, DOILE, DOILL, DOYEL, D'OYLEY, D'OYLE, DULEY, DULY, D'OYLY and DOYLEE

Famous People with the Surname DOYLE:

• Arthur Conan Doyle - Scottish-born author, best known for creating the fictional character Sherlock Holmes.
• Roddy Doyle - Irish novelist, dramatist, and screenwriter
• Major General Irvin McDowell - Union officer during the American Civil War
• Fred McDowell - American blues artist

Genealogy Resources for the Surname DOYLE:

Doyle Clan Page
A website dedicated to the surnames Doyle, Doyel, Doyal, O'Doyle, Doyelle, D’Oyly, D'Oyley, D’Oyle, Doyley, Doylee, Doiley, Doley, Duley, Duly, Duely, Dueley, de Oiley, d’Oilly, De Oilgi, Ollie, Oyler, Olley, Oulley, Oullie, Ollie, Owley, Oyly, Oilli, Oiley, L’Oyle or their relatives.

DubhGhaill / Doyle Y-DNA Surname Project
All male participants are invited to join this Y-DNA project to help try to confirm if DubhGhaill / Doyle ‘cousins’ in Ireland, Europe, USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, South America and elsewhere can trace their roots back to a common genetic ancestor.

British Surname Profiler - Distribution of the Doyle Surname
Trace the geography and history of the Doyle surname through this free online database based on a University College London (UCL) project investigating the distribution of surnames in Great Britain, both current and historic.

Doyle Family Genealogy Forum
Search this popular genealogy forum for the Doyle surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Doyle surname query.

FamilySearch - DOYLE Genealogy
Find historical records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Doyle surname and its variations.

DOYLE Surname & Family Mailing Lists
RootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Doyle surname.

Cousin Connect - DOYLE Genealogy Queries
Read or post genealogy queries for the surname Doyle, and sign up for free notification when new Doyle queries are added.

DistantCousin.com - DOYLE Genealogy & Family History
Free databases and genealogy links for the last name Doyle.

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References: Surname Meanings & Origins

Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1967.

Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

MacLysaght, Edward. Surnames of Ireland. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1989.

Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

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