English (of Welsh origin): Anglicized form of Welsh ap
Hywel ‘son of Hywel’, a personal name meaning ‘eminent’
(see Howell).
Irish: mainly of Welsh origin as
in 1 above, but sometimes a surname adopted as equivalent of Gaelic
Mac Giolla Phóil ‘son of the servant of St. Paul’ (see
Guilfoyle).
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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