Nail Family History
Nail Name Meaning
English: from Middle English naile nayle ‘nail’ (from Old English nægel) which may as in modern English have the senses ‘metal spike wooden peg’or ‘fingernail toenail’. Applied as a metonymic occupational name for a maker of nails. Americanized form (translation into English) of German Nagel ‘nail’. French: from the ancient Germanic personal name Nahilo based on the element nah ‘sufficient adequate’.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022