The neal Surname
neal Name Meaning and History
- English, Scottish, and Irish: from an Anglo-Scandinavian form of the Gaelic name Niall (see Neill). This was adopted by the Scandinavians in the form Njal and was introduced into northern England and East Anglia by them, rather than being taken directly from Gaelic. It was reinforced after the Norman Conquest by the Anglo-Norman French and Middle English forms Neel, Nihel, and Nigel, which were brought to England by the Normans.
- Scottish and Irish: reduced form of McNeal (see McNeil).
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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