EAGLE. EAGLES. EGLES. Metaphorically applied to a person of ambitious or soaring disposition. There are several legendary stories of eagles which may have originated the name; e. (j. that of De Aquila mentioned in this Dictionary, and the well-known Stanley tradition. See Curiosities of Heraldry, page 187. The Eagle is also a familiar heraldiic bearing and a common inn sign.

Lower, Mark A (1860) Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom. London: J.R. Smith. Public Domain.