Nagel
A German and Dutch surname meaning “nail” or “spike,” sometimes also arising from a place name.
The #2,480 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,227 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Nagel comes from the Germanic word for a nail or spike, ultimately from Old High German and related forms in Old Saxon, Dutch, and Old English. As a surname, it may have begun as a metonymic occupational name for someone who made or sold nails, or as a nickname linked to the word itself. Some bearers may also derive the name from a place called Nagel or a similar local name.
History
The name is well established in German-speaking areas and also occurs in Dutch records and forms. Harrison noted that its frequency in America was largely increased by German immigration. In some cases, scholars have also treated it as a place-name surname or an old Germanic personal-name form in abbreviated compounds, so the exact origin can vary by family.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root behind Nagel also appears in ordinary German nagel, meaning “nail.”
From the historical record
“NABOR for Neighbour, q.v. NAGEL 1 (Teijt.) Nail, Spike [O.H.Ger. and NAGELE ^O.Sax. nagal = Goth. *nagl-s ^ NAGLE yO.T^.nagl = Dut. nagel = O.E. ncegelyVn.., a nail, etc.] The great prevalence of this n^me in America is largely due to German im- migration. The A.-Saxpn name is seen I ^—vocalized — in Such Eng.…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)