Show ContentsNestler History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The roots of the distinguished German surname Nestler lie in the former duchy of Swabia. The name is derived from the Middle High German "nesteler," meaning "maker of thread or string." It is therefore likely that the progenitor of this name held such an occupation.

Early Origins of the Nestler family

The surname Nestler was first found in Swabia, where it is thought to have emerged. The original bearer of the name was likely a manufacturer of string or thread who came to be known as "Nestler" within his community. The earliest records of the name have been traced to the city of Koblenz, where Contrat Nesteli was living in 1290. The young Nestler family played a crucial role in the early history of the region, and contributed greatly to the development of medieval Swabian society.

Early History of the Nestler family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nestler research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1290, 1457, 1498, 1657, 1700, 1721, 1740, 1787, 1804 and 1843 are included under the topic Early Nestler History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nestler Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Nestler, Nestell, Nestel, Nestle, Nestelmann, Nessler, Nesteler and many more.

Early Notables of the Nestler family

Notables with the surname Nestler during this period were

  • Karl Christoph Nestler (1740-1804), a well-known philosopher and theologian from Saxony, and Johan Friedrich Nestler (1787-1843), a Danish army surgeon


United States Nestler migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Nestler Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • J Gottfried Nestler, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1773 [1]
Nestler Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • F Nestler, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 [1]
  • John Nestler, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1850 [1]

Contemporary Notables of the name Nestler (post 1700) +

  • Eric J. Nestler, Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience, Chairman of the Department of Neuroscience and Director of the Brain Institute at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York
  • H. W. Nestler, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from West Virginia 4th District, 1954 [2]
  • Gaby Nestler, former East German cross country skier who competed during the 1980s
  • Käthe Nestler (b. 1894), popular German singer
  • Vincenzo Nestler (1912-1988), Italian chess master
  • Gerhard Nestler (b. 1900), composer and conductor

Bismarck
  • Herbert Nestler (1916-1941), German Bootsmannsmaat who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking [3]


  1. 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)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  3. Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details


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