Boyle surname meaning

Boyle is chiefly an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Baoighill, “descendant of Baoigheall.” The personal name’s exact sense is uncertain; one common analysis combines elements for “rash” and “pledge.” In Scotland, Boyle can instead be Norman habitational from Biéville near Caen in Normandy—the line behind the Boyle earls of Glasgow—so not every Boyle is Irish. O’Boyle, Boal, and Bohill are related Irish spellings. Parent’s name fits the Donegal Ó Baoighill lead that dominates American Boyle frequency, while the Norman place-name stream keeps confidence disputed.