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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


Similar surnames: Fail, Bail, Lail, Cail, Gail, Hall, Hail, Cain, Maul, Nall

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Nail family from?

You can see how Nail families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Nail family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Nail families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 19 Nail families living in London. This was about 18% of all the recorded Nail's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Nail families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Nail surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Nail ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Nail. 92% of Nail women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. .

View Census Data for Nail | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    92%
  • Housekeeper
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Nail family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 28,000 census records available for the last name Nail. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Nail census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Nail

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Nail. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Nail immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 7,000 military records available for the last name Nail. For the veterans among your Nail ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Nail military records

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What is the average Nail lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Nail life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1963. The average life expectancy for Nail in 1944 was 26, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Nail

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