Boyle is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Baoighill, meaning "descendant of Baoigheall." The personal name Baoigheall is of uncertain origin, though it is thought to be connected to the Irish word geall meaning "pledge." Alternatively, Wiktionary notes that the name may come from Ó Baoithghill, a compound of baoth ("vain, foolish") and geall ("pledge"). Thus, the surname Boyles traces back to an ancestor named Baoigheall or Baoithgheall. History and Distribution The Boyle family was historically prominent in County Donegal and County Roscommon, Ireland, where the name is still common. The Boyle surname is also of Scottish origin, sometimes stemming from Norman French roots—from a place called Biéville in Normandy, derived from the Germanic personal name Boia plus the suffix -ville. However, in the vast majority of cases, Boyle is Irish. During the 17th century, many Boyles spread across Ireland and later emigrated to the United States, Canada, and Australia, leading to significant presence in these countries today. Notable Bearers One of the most famous bearers is Robert Boyle (1627–1691), an Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor. He is best known for Boyle's law, which describes the inversely proportional relationship between the absolute pressure and volume of a gas. Other notables include John J. Boyle (1851–1917), an American sculptor; Danny Boyle (b. 1956), an English film director and producer known for films like Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire; and Susan Boyle (b. 1961), a Scottish singer who gained fame after appearing on Britain's Got Talent. Variants An alternate spelling is O'Boyle, which uses the hyphen or full stop (e.g., O Boyle). The modern form Ó Baoghill (or Ó Baoghill) retains the Irish preposition. Meaning: "descendant of Baoigheall" (possibly “vain/foolish pledge”) Origin: Irish (Gaelic) Type: Surname (patronymic) Pronunciation: Rhymes with “oil”