Gender: Feminine
Origin: Goshute
Meaning: “Bear.”
Pronunciation: (too-WIL-ah)
Nicknames: Tooe, Tooli, Willa
Detail: Historical research reveals the name “Tooele” comes from the Goshute Indian word “bear.” There are several families with the last name “Bear” — descendants of the Goshute Indians who signed a treaty with early Tooele Valley Mormons.
Tooele County, Utah was originally known as Tuilla County. The spelling was changed to Tooele in 1852, when boundaries of the State of Deseret were extended to the California border.
The Character of Names 