Ó Maol Fábhail,

anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

as Lavelle is an

Irish surname A formal Irish name consists of a given name and a surname. In the Irish language, most surnames are patronymic surnames (distinct from patronymic, patronyms, which are seen in Icelandic names for example). The form of a surname varies according ...

. It can also be found as O'Mullawill, or rarely, as Mulfall or Mac Fall.

Lavelle of Connacht

The surname Lavelle is found mainly in

Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...

, particularly in

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

, where Griffith's Valuation of 1857 recorded 286 ''Lavelle'' households. Many were located on Achill Island. It is found sparsely elsewhere in Ireland. The Lavelles of Mayo and elsewhere in Connacht are believed by MacLysaght to be descendants of the

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...

Ó Maol Fábhail, a surname

phonetic Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds or, in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians ...

ally anglicised as Lavelle. On page 370 of

Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh Roderick O'Flaherty (; 1629–1718 or 1716) was an Irish historian. Biography He was born in County Galway and inherited Moycullen Castle and estate. O'Flaherty was the last ''de jure'' Tigerna, Lord of Iar Connacht, and the last recognised C ...

's ''Iar Connacht'', James Hardiman quotes the

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...

called Crichaireacht cinedach nduchasa Muintiri Murchada, which states that ''O'Maelampaill of Donaghpatrick is the

brehon Brehon (, ) is a term for a historical arbitration, mediative, and judicial role in Gaelic culture. Brehons were part of the system of Early Irish law, which was also simply called " Brehon law". Brehons were judges, close in importance to the ...

of O'Flaherty.'' Hardiman notes concerning this family states: * ''O'Maelampaill. This name is written Ó Maol Fábhail in Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh's copy of this tract. The name is still extant, but pronounced O'Mullawill, and sometimes anglicised Lavelle. According to the tradition in the

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

Murrisk Murrisk () is a village in County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, on the south side of Clew Bay, about 8 km west of Westport, County Mayo, Westport and 4 km east of Lecanvey. Murrisk lies at the foot of Croagh Patrick and is the ...

, or Iar-Umhall'' ( Umaill) ''this family is of Danish descent, but this tradition does not appear to be entitled to much credit.'' Of Donaghpatrick, Hardiman states: * ''Donaghpatrick, Domnaig Padraig, i.e., of St. Patrick's church. This is the name of a parish in the north of the

of Clare. Its original church stands in ruins near the margin of Lough Hackett, which is the Loch Cime of the old Irish writers.'' (p. 370) The parish of Donaghpatrick is between the towns of Headford and

Tuam Tuam (; , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midland Region, Ireland, midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. The town is in a civil parishe ...

. The surname derived from the Gaelic personal name, ''Maol Fábhail'', its form denoting descent from a person named in honour of a Saint Fábhail. Nineteen persons of the name are cited by Nollaig Ó Muraíle (pp. 479–480, volume V ''

Leabhar na nGenealach ''Leabhar na nGenealach'' ("Book of Genealogies") is a massive genealogical collection written mainly in the years 1649 to 1650, at the college-house of St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church, Galway, by Dubhaltach MacFhirbhisigh. He continued to add m ...

'') but none seem to have been saints. Elsewhere, (pp. 450–451, volume I) he has them as ''Ui Mhaoil Fhábhaill (or Maoil Ampuill)''. Based upon a variant

of Crichaireacht cinedach nduchasa Muintiri Murchada, it also cites the family as the

s or judges of the

Ó Flaithbheartaigh O'Flaherty ( , ; ; ) is an Irish people, Irish Gaels, Gaelic clan based most prominently in what is today County Galway. The clan name originated in the 10th century as a derivative of its founder Flaithbheartach mac Eimhin. They descend in ...

, c. 1100.

Lavelle of Armagh

The

Annals of Inisfallen The ''Annals of Inisfallen'' () are a chronicle of the medieval history of Ireland. Overview There are more than 2,500 entries spanning the years between 433 and 1450. The manuscript is thought to have been compiled in 1092, as the chronic ...

record that in 1102,

''The son of Mac Lochlainn with the Cenél Eógain went into Ulaid, and their camp was attacked when unguarded, and the king of Carraig Brachide, namely, Ua Maíl Fhábaill, and the son of Conrach, son of Eógan, and many others were slain.''

Twelve Lavelle households were recorded by the same survey in

County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...

. However, though the forms O'Lawell, O'Lowell and O'Lavell are recorded in the 17th-century Hearth Money Rolls for Armagh, they are believed to be unrelated to the Connacht family (Mac Lysaght p. 144, 1996).

Mulfall of Donegal

This is a rare form of the surname Mulfall, the original form of which is also Ó Maol Fábhail, but ''"is of different and distinct origin, being that of a family who descended from Fergus, grandson of

Niall of the Nine Hostages Niall Noígíallach (; Old Irish "having nine hostages"), or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. ...

and were chiefs of Carrickbraghy, in the

Inishowen Inishowen () is a peninsula in the north of County Donegal in Ireland. Inishowen is the largest peninsula on the island of Ireland. The Inishowen peninsula includes Ireland's most northerly point, Malin Head. The Grianan of Aileach, a ringfor ...

. There, however, it has been widely corrupted to MacFael, MacFall and even MacPaul and Paul."'' He goes on to note that this makes it indistinguishable from the family of Mac Fall of Antrim (p. 144, 1996). The family would thus descend from Fergus Cendfota, son of Conall Gulban. Fergus's grandson, Ainmuire mac Sétnai, was

King of Tara The term Kingship of Tara () was a title of authority in ancient Ireland - the title is closely associated with the archaeological complex at the Hill of Tara. The position was considered to be of eminent authority in medieval Irish literature ...

at his death in 569 (see

Cenél Conaill Cenél is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Cenél Conaill, the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Conall Gulban, son of Niall Noígiallach defined by oral and recorded history *Cenél nEógain (in English, Cenel Eogan) is ...

family tree). The eponym, Maol Fábhail, lived in the mid-9th century, and the surname not come into use till the time of his grandsons or great-grandsons, some one hundred years later (i.e., mid-to-late 10th/early 11th century. He is identified as Maol Fábhail mac Loingseach in the following note from the

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' () are annals of History of Ireland, medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luin� ...

: * ''878/81: Maelfabhaill, son of Loingseach, lord of Carraig Brachaighe (or Chairrge Brachaighe), died.'' The

, ''sub anno'' 1102, record that ''The son of Mac Lochlainn with the Cenél Eógain went into Ulaid, and their camp was attacked when unguarded, and the king of Carraig Brachide, namely, Ua Maíl Fhábaill, and the son of Conrach, son of Eógan, and many others were slain.''

Mac Fall of Antrim

Writing of this family, Mac Lysaght states: * ''"Mac Fall (MacPhail and MacPhoil) which I think is of Scottish and

Clan MacPhail Clan MacPhail or the Sons of Paul is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. Known in Scottish Gaelic as Conchie Dhu or Condochy Doye, the clan is mainly associated with the confederation of Clan Chattan. History Origins The original Old Ga ...

origin. O'Mulfoyle is listed in the 1659 'census' as a principal Irish surname in the barony of Tirkeerran, which is contiguous to Inishown."'' Thus it is confused with Mulfall of Donegal (see above). ''"The most distinguished of the name was Dr. James Augustine MacFaul (1850–1917), Bishop of Trenton,

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

of Irish Catholic causes in USA"''

Ua Maíl Fhábaill of Muscraige

Still another family of the name was located in

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

: * ''AI1208.3 Ua Maíl Fhábaill of Muscraige was slain by Mac na Sethar Ua B ..through enmity.''

Meaning of the name

The Irish meaning of the name Lavelle or O'Maolfhábhail 'descendant of Maolfhábhail', a personal name meaning 'fond of movement or travel'. The French meaning of the name comes from the common French place name Laval, from Old French val 'valley'. This is also a Huguenot name (with the same etymology), taken to England by Etienne-Abel Laval, a minister of the French church in Castle Street, London, around 1730.French: habitational name from Lavelle in Puy-de-Dôme or various other, smaller places so named

Variations

Variations include Lawell, Melville, Mulville and MacFaul, though these are generally reckoned as separate, unrelated surnames. Lavelle is found in France and Belgium as a surname but, being derived from a placename, has a different and unrelated origin to the Irish surname. Examples include * Velle-le-Châtel * Velles, Haute-Marne * Velles, Indre French people bearing the surname include: * Louis Lavelle, philosopher, 1883–1951. In Spain, it is derived from placenames such as La Vellés.

Other forms

As LaVelle, La Velle, and LaVella, it is found as a forename in the USA.

Bearers of the name

Notable Lavelles include: * Patrick Lavelle, priest and Irish nationalist, 1825–1886 * John Daniel Lavelle,

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

general, 1916–1979 * John W. Lavelle, Democratic Party representative in New York, 1949–2007 * Caroline Lavelle, British singer-songwriter and cellist, born 1969 * James Lavelle, DJ, electronic recording artist and

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

boss, born 1974 * Peter Lavelle, writer and RT broadcaster, born 1961 * Rose Lavelle, professional soccer player for

United States women's national soccer team The United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) represents the United States in international women's soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central Ameri ...

and

OL Reign Seattle Reign FC is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2012, it is one of eight inaugural members of the NWSL. Since J ...

, born 1995 * Gary Lavelle, professional baseball pitcher for

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

and the

Oakland A's Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

born 3 January 1949

References

* ''Iar Connacht'',

, 1684 (ed. James Hardiman, published 1846). * ''The Surnames of Ireland'', Edward MacLysaght, Dublin, 1978. * ''More Irish Families'', p. 143–144, Edward MacLysaght, Dublin, 1996.

External links

* http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&UserID= {{DEFAULTSORT:O Maol Fabhail Surnames of Irish origin Irish-language surnames