This interesting name, with variant spellings Neagle and Nangle is of Norman Irish origin. Originally "de Angulos" the family entered Ireland following the Norman invasion of 1170 and were granted large tracts of land in County Cork and in North Connacht. The Cork branch of the family used Nagle or Neagle as an anglicized form of their name and the Connacht branch Nangle from the original Gaelicized form de Nogla. Later, the Nangles of Connacht adopted the surname Mac Costello - a patronymic formed from the Gaelic prefix "mac" meaning "son of" plus the Norman personal name Oistealb and its anglicized form (Mac) Costello. Nagle's Mountains near Ballyhooly, Co. Cork, are named after the Cork branch of the family. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Gilbert de Angulos, given as being a Norman baron, and dated 1193. This is in a book known as "The Annals of the Four Masters", and written in the province of Connacht, during the reign of King Rory O' Connor, High King of Ireland 1166 - 1198. 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.

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