There are two entirely separate Doyles, that which occurs more frequently being of Irish origin. Here Doyle (or O’Doyle) stems from the Irish Gaelic O’Dubhgail, which in turn comes from the first name Dubhgail. In Irish Gaelic ‘Dubh’ means ‘black’ and ‘gail’ means ‘foreigner’. Thus Dubhgail should originally have been the name given to any dark foreigner. However, with a typically Irish twist, Dubhgail, ‘dark stranger’, was the name which the Irish chose to give to their blond Scandinavian invaders during Viking times. Thus many Irish Doyles were originally Vikings, of Norse origin.

The Vikings aside, this name was well established in Ireland long before the Anglo-Norman invasion. Three other well-known Irish names stem from the same non-Nordic root as Doyle. These are Dougal, Doole and MacDowell.

Doyle, Dougal, Doole and MacDowell all originate from the Gaelic word Dubhgail, yet their occurrences and history appear to be quite distinct. Doyle is one of the most popular names in Leinster, whereas Dougal is found in both Scotland and Ireland. MacDowell, on the other hand, is the Irish form of a Scottish family name which originates in the Hebrides. The MacDowells probably came to Ireland as servants of the Norse settlers. The name MacDowell is now widespread in Ulster, but in large part this is due to immigration from Scotland since Cromwellian times. These MacDowells were originally Scottish, though the origin of the name is the same.

The English name is quite distinct from the Irish name and its Celtic variations. This Doyle is a place name, stemming from the Old French de Oilgi or de Ouilli, and came to England with William the Conqueror. The variation Doyley clearly indicates the French connection. There are no fewer than five villages called Ouilly in the Calvados region of Normandy (the place name means ‘Olius’s place’ and contains a late Latin personal name). The English Doyles are thought to have originated from the village of Ouilli-le-Bassett in the canton of Falaise.

Several Doyle, D’Oyley variations appear in the Domesday Book for 1086. These range from de Oilgi to de Olgi and even de Oilleio.

The doily takes its name from a seventeenth-century shopkeeper in the Strand by the name of Doyle. He sold a popular light woollen fabric much favoured for summer wear which, by the eighteenth century, had moved to the table.

America has had a number of notable criminal Doyles, including Little Patsy Doyle, vicious leader of New York’s nineteenth-century Hudson Dusters Club; Jess Doyle, a member of the notorious Ma Barker gang of bank robbers and kidnappers whose criminal forays, executed with military precision, netted over £1.5 million; and Dorsey Doyle, a kingpin in the Whyos Gang, whose members didn’t exactly enjoy good health: over a hundred murders took place in their club house.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is perhaps the most enduring detective in all of fiction. Part of that fame, however, is built on sand: in none of the stories does Holmes say, ‘Elementary, my dear Watson’.

Famed caricaturist Richard Doyle (1824—83) designed Punch's original cover, which remained unchanged until the 1950s.

Just 5 towns in the world bear this name. New Zealand has a Doyleston while the United States has 2 Doyles, a Doylestown and a Doylesville. No significant geographic feature relates to Doyle.

In England, Scotland and Wales Doyle is not common enough to be counted separately. In Ireland, with about 24,000 namesakes, Doyle is the 12th most popular surname. Around the world Doyles are most common in Sydney (one in 1,584 families), Canberra (one in 1,769) and Melbourne (one in 2,226). In the United States there are an estimated 82,000 Doyles, making this their 334th most popular surname.