How did nickel get its name?

Answer 1

I don't know the date on this -- medieval I think. But nickel was extractible from an ore that looked a lot like copper ore, which was called Devil's copper, or kupfernickel. Nickel means "devil", as in Old Nick, and the name stuck because of the ore's name.
It got its name from an old word that meant old nick witch also meant the devil.

Answer 2

The name comes from the German word Kupfernickel, meaning "devil's copper". It's generally thought that the name was given by the metal's discoverer, Baron Axel Frederik Cronstedt. Miners had hoped to find softer copper, but instead found a metal that was much harder and more difficult to work with.

Answer 3

Nickel got its name from the German word "kupfernickel," which means "false copper." Miners originally thought this ore contained copper, but later discovered it was a new element which they named nickel.

Answer 4

Nickel is the name of a German Sprite in the middle age.