Lyle is an English surname derived from Norman French l’isle meaning “the island”, a topographical name for someone who lived or came from an island. It could also be derived as a habitional name for someone who came from a city in France called Lille, also derived from the source above. It comes from Latin insula (island), a word of uncertain origin which could be derived from either Ancient Greek nesos (island) or from Proto-Celtic *enistī (island) both of which derive from a PIE root word.
It’s also possible that Lyle is a variant spelling of Lyall, a Scottish surname derived from an Old Norse source. The second part of the name comes from ulfr meaning “wolf” though the first part of the name is uncertain.
Origin: Proto-Indo-European
Variants:
- Lisle (English)
- Lyall (English)
- Lyal (English)
- Lyell (English)
