Show ContentsNail History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Nail

What does the name Nail mean?

The surname Nail is a German occupational surname that evolved in the region known as the Rhineland. Germans at first used only one name, but population growth and increased travel in medieval times caused confusion between people of the same name, forcing the people to adopt hereditary surnames. These names often identified people by the kind of work they did. Nail is a name for a carpenter, builder or a person who made or sold nails. The name Nail is derived from the Old German word "nagal," which means "nail." There are also numerous places named Nagel in Germany.

Early Origins of the Nail family

The surname Nail was first found in Westphalia, where this family made important contributions toward the development of this district from ancient times. Always prominent in social and political affairs, the family formed alliances with other families within the Feudal System and the nation.

Early History of the Nail family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nail research. Another 232 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1224, 1451, 1562, 1649, 1769, 1773, 1836 and 1851 are included under the topic Early Nail History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nail Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Nail include Nagel, Nagle, Naegel, Nageli, Naegeli, Nagell, Nagler, Nagele, Naegele, Naegelen, Negel, Negele, Nail, Neil and many more.

Early Notables of the Nail family

Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nail Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nail Ranking

In the United States, the name Nail is the 4,772nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1


Nail migration to the United States +

Hundreds of thousands of Europeans, including many Rhinelanders, made the voyage to North America between the 17th and 20th centuries. It was an escape from religious persecution and poverty and also an opportunity for people to start over and own their own land. Most landed at Ellis Island, off New York before moving on to the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, and California. Some also landed in Canada and settled in Ontario, while others headed west to the prairie provinces. A study of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of people bearing the name of Nail, or one of its variants, reaching North America shores very early:

Nail Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Nail, aged 19, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
  • Thomas Nail, aged 35, who landed in Connecticut in 1812 2
  • John Nail, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1840 2

Nail migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Nail Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Jacques Nail, who landed in Montreal in 1653
Nail Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • George Nail, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749

Nail migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Nail Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Nail, English labourer who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Nail (post 1700) +

  • David Brent Nail (b. 1979), American country music artist
  • James Bradford "Jimmy" Nail (b. 1954), English singer-songwriter, actor, musician and film producer
  • Nail M. O'Leary, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Waterbury, Connecticut, 2012 4


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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