Neale Name Meaning, Origin and Heraldry

The last name Neale is another written form of Neal, a well-known English family name. It grew out of a personal name: “From the personal name Niall”.

• The same family of names includes Neil and Neill.
• Before spelling was standardised, one family could appear under several forms.
• The extra “e” in Neale is a spelling habit rather than a different name.

Neale coat of arms

Arms linked to Neal and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to. Want more than a summary? See the Neale family name pack.