Neylon is an anglicized version of the Irish surname Ó Nialláin. Other English language forms of the name include Nealon, O'Neylan, Nyland and Neilan. They were a sept of the

Dalcassian The Dalcassians ( ga, Dál gCais ) are a Gaelic Irish clan, generally accepted by contemporary scholarship as being a branch of the Déisi Muman, that became very powerful in Ireland during the 10th century. Their genealogies claimed descent f ...

(Irish:

Dál gCais The Dalcassians ( ga, Dál gCais ) are a Gaelic Irish clan, generally accepted by contemporary scholarship as being a branch of the Déisi Muman, that became very powerful in Ireland during the 10th century. Their genealogies claimed descent fr ...

) tribe located in the kingdom of

Thomond Thomond (Classical Irish: ; Modern Irish: ), also known as the kingdom of Limerick, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Clare and County Limerick, as well as parts of County Tipperary around Nenag ...

, which is now predominantly modern-day County Clare but encompassed parts of modern-day Tipperary and Limerick. Some early references to the name in this area come from references made to the completion in 1016 of a fortified dwelling overlooking Ballyalla lake, north of Ennis, which had the blessing of the ruling O'Brien family. Throughout the reign of the O'Brien's in the region the Neylon family acted as medics and clergy as well as providing soldiers for the kingdom's defence. Two such examples of this is Ailill Ua Nialláin (d. 1093) who was Abbot of Clonmacnoise and a James Neylon who graduated from

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

with a degree in Arts and Medicine in the 16th century.Art Cosgrove, "Early modern Ireland : 1534 - 1691", in Art Cosgrove (ed.), ''A New History of Ireland: Early modern Ireland : 1534 - 1691, Volume 3'', Oxford University Press, 1991 During the course of the 1594 John Neylon, son of then Bishop of Kildare Daniel Neylon (or O'Neylan as he is recorded in some documents), was bequeathed the castle of Dysert O'Dea near Corofin along with other lands in Inchiquin

However, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian and

Williamite A Williamite was a follower of King William III of England (r. 1689–1702) who deposed King James II and VII in the Glorious Revolution. William, the Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, replaced James with the support of English Whigs. One ...

wars of the 17th century a lot of Irish nobles lost their land and titles after the outcomes of these wars didn't go in their favour and English rule in Ireland took a firm grip. The Neylon family appeared to remain in the general area but no longer at the centre of political affairs. Like many other Irish families, the

Great Irish Famine The Great Famine ( ga, an Gorta Mór ), also known within Ireland as the Great Hunger or simply the Famine and outside Ireland as the Irish Potato Famine, was a period of starvation and disease in Ireland from 1845 to 1852 that constituted a ...

of the 1840s caused many members of the Neylon to emigrate to Britain, America and even further afield in order to survive. The Neylon name is still commonly found in many parts of Ireland.

Popularity

67% of Neylon's live in Ireland 20% of Neylon's live in the USA 8% of Neylon's live in the United Kingdom 5% of Neylon's live in a non-mentioned country.

Coat of arms

The family

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

constitutes two unicorns on a black background with a hand holding a dagger over the shield. In medieval

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...

these symbols are interpreted as follows: Unicorn - Extreme courage; virtue and strength Black (Sable) Background - Constancy or grief Dagger - Justice and military honou

References

{{Reflist Septs of the Dál gCais Surnames