So, the name Doyle comes from the Irish surnames O’Dubhghaill meaning descendant of Dubhghall. Dubh meaning black and Ghall meaning stranger. This term came about during the Vikings Raids of Ireland. It was used by the Irish to characterize the Dark-haired Danes from light haired Norwegians. As the Vikings settled in Ireland and assimilated into its population, in the process founding many of Ireland’s coastal cities and towns. The name was Adopted by many on the coasts of Ireland. Where my Great Grandfather on my Grandmother’s side lived. His name was Michael Doyle and is the man I’m named after. My parents decided on the name as it pays homage to my Irish Side of the family. My name is an inverse of his, so, for example, Michael Doyle Doyle Michael Proto.
The Interesting thing about having a name with a very long history is that there’s a lot of stuff that comes with it. One thing that came with my name was a Coat of Arms. The coat of arms is a shield with a double alternating blue and yellow pattern on the edge. Three red stags with yellow antlers sit in a white field. A helmet with a stag stands atop the shield as red and white ribbons fanout from behind. A banner sits below saying fortitudine vincit. It means, He conquers by strength, and it will always remind me of my Italian roots from my father’s family. Proto means first and I truly don’t know how far back it goes in my family, but I know it’s from my dad’s Father side of the family. I feel like the name should stay that way because it’s 1st. I can let it fade into the mists of antiquity.
The problem is that I don’t know more about my dad’s side of the family. My dad’s mother, or as I call her nanny, doesn’t talk much about her family and even than knows little about them. When I was much younger I did not like my name. I’m not too sure why I didn’t like it. Maybe it was that people would call me a name in schools like Boyle, Ooyle and Soyle. I was always much more fund of the name Thomas. I think it must be because I was a big fan of Thomas the train engine when I was younger, but now I never would think of changing my name at all. When I move to Connecticut, I was awash in a sea of Jakes, Jacks, Johns, and, Bens. Also, when I got older, I learned the history behind my name and how it wasn’t just some weird name.
Fascinating stuff Doyle. Can you edit this piece so that it has paragraph breaks in appropriate places?
I wanted to come back and give you some content response.
What I find fascinating is how much you already know about your name. You seem to have researched this before. Why was it important to you to know what your name means?