Doyle
Doyle was the 7815th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 10 babies. Its best year was 1931, when it ranked 195th with 667 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,032 places. More babies were named Doyle in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Meaning "descendant of Dubhghall (dark stranger)" · Irish
Say it DOYL /dɔɪl/
- Rank in 2025
- #7,815 boys, down 663 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 10boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1931667 babies
- Total since 1880
- 30,652babies recorded
What does the name Doyle mean?
Doyle is an Irish surname, from Ó Dubhghaill, "descendant of Dubhghall". The personal name Dubhghall (Dougal) means "dark stranger", from dubh, "black, dark", and gall, "foreigner"; it was used for Danish Vikings. Wikipedia also mentions a possible Norman surname D'Oyly. Doyle was used as a first name in the US mainly from the 1920s to the 1950s.
dubh (Irish, “black, dark”)gall (Irish, “foreigner, stranger”)
How sure is this? Probable. Most Doyles are Irish (Ó Dubhghaill); a Norman D'Oyly origin is possible for some families.
Related names: Dougal, Doyal.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Doyle', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Dougal', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Doyle', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Doyle popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 252 since 1914.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,815 | 10 |
| 2020 | #7,152 | 11 |
| 2010 | #4,725 | 20 |
| 2000 | #2,585 | 36 |
| 1990 | #1,470 | 59 |
| 1980 | #975 | 85 |
| 1970 | #529 | 234 |
| 1960 | #393 | 404 |
| 1950 | #298 | 521 |
| 1940 | #207 | 621 |
| 1930 | #214 | 601 |
| 1920 | #280 | 395 |
| 1910 | #423 | 41 |
| 1900 | #653 | 15 |
| 1890 | #1,041 | 5 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Doyle, counting every spelling?
Doyle has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Doyle?
10 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Doyle (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Doyle born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 831 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Doyle.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Doyle?
About 12,000 people born in the US named Doyle are alive today, with a median age of 68; half are between 57 and 77. That makes Doyle a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Doyle: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Doyle, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Doyle
What does Doyle mean?
Doyle means “"descendant of Dubhghall (dark stranger)"” (Irish origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Doyle?
Doyle was the 7815th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 10 babies. Its best year was 1931, when it ranked 195th with 667 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,032 places. More babies were named Doyle in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Is Doyle a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Doyle in the US.