In Brittany there are a series of communes which carry the name Noyal: Noyal Pontivy (Morbihan); Noyal-sous-Bazouges , Noyal-Châtillon-sur-Seiche, La Noë-Blanche (Ille-et-Vilaine); and Noyal (Cotes d'Armor). Most French and Breton writers assume the name is connected with the Gaulish: nauda , ‘wetland’, 'marsh' [Old French: noue ]. Examples elsewhere in France include Nods (Franche-Comté), Noé (Midi-Pyrénées) and Les Noës (Aube). A further group derive the name from Gaulish: novio , 'new' and Gaulish: ialo , 'clearance, 'clearing'. However, there is a saint whose name fits nicely. St. Newlyn East, Cornwall All these Breton place names could recall a 6th century Cornish saint who appears in the chronicles as Noyal, Newlyna, Noualuen (Noual Blanche, 'the white'), Noiala and Noal. She also appears as the patron saint of St. Newlyn East in Cornwall. St. Newlyn East Parish Church She is portrayed as carrying her own head...
The Origins and Place Names of Brittany