Nail
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Frequency: (2094)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. English: from Middle English naile, nayle ‘nail’ (from Old English nægel), applied as a metonymic occupational name for a maker of nails, or as a nickname for a tall thin person.
2. Americanized form of German Nagel.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
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Copyrights:
Oxford Dictionary of Family Names
Dictionary of American Family Names. Copyright © 2006 Patrick Hanks. All rights reserved.
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