Lyall (surname)

The surname "Lyall" is found early in Scotland and was derived from the Old Norse given name "Liulfr", where "ulfr" means "wolf". After the Viking settlement in Scotland, the Norse name was subject to sound changes and adapted to the local languages, ultimately resulting in the form "Lyall". The Lyall clan is a sept (a subdivision of a Scottish or Irish clan) of Clan Sinclair. The Sinclairs are a Scottish clan of Norman origin who held lands in Caithness in the north of Scotland, the Orkney Islands, and the Lothians.

Notable people with the surname Lyall include:

Alfred Comyn Lyall (1835–1911), British civil servant and poet
Bill Lyall (1941–2021), Canadian politician
Billy Lyall (1953–1989), Scottish musician with the band Pilot
Charles James Lyall (1845–1920), English civil servant working in India
Charles Ross Lyall (1880–1950), British career soldier and cricketer
David Lyall (1817–1895), Scottish botanist
Gavin Lyall (1932–2003), English author of espionage novels
Geoffrey Lyall (born 1949), bass player for the Dead Kennedys
George Lyall Sr. (1779–1853), Chairman of the Honourable East India Company
Graeme Lyall (born 1942), Australian musician, composer and arranger
James Lyall (minister) (1827–1905), Presbyterian minister in South Australia.
James Broadwood Lyall (1838–1916), administrator in the Indian Civil Service, brother of Sir Alfred
John Edwardes Lyall (1811–1845), British lawyer, Advocate-General of Bengal, son of George Lyall
Laura Muntz Lyall (1860–1930), Canadian impressionist painter
Paul Lyall (1944–2021), British para table tennis player
Sarah Lyall (born c. 1963), American journalist in England
William Lyall (disambiguation)

See also