This interesting surname, of Scottish and Northern Irish origin, derives from a regional name from the district of Kyle in the former county of Ayshire in South West Scotland. This is so called from the name of the British Chieftains who ruled it in the 5th Century, the Coel Hen. It is also a locational name from any of the numerous Scottish places that are so called, from the Gaelic "caol" meaning "strait" or "narrows". The surname dates back to the early 15th Century (see below), and further recordings include the christening of Thomas, son of Andrew Kyle, on June 3rd 1635, at St. Margaret's, Westminster, London. Thomas Kyle married Jonet Blaikie on September 16th 1652, at Edinburgh, and James, son of John and Elizabeth Kyle, was christened at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London, on May 29th 1656. One Patrick Kyle, aged 23 yrs., a famine emigrant, sailed from Liverpool aboard the "Siddons" bound for New York on March 28th 1846. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Margaret Kile, which was dated 1428, recorded at Glasgow, Scotland, during the reign of King James 1 of Scotland, 1406 - 1437. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.