Trail
A surname that may come from a place-name, a French form, or a folk-linked Norse nickname meaning “devil” or “troll.”
The #8,084 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 75,285 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The sources do not agree on a single origin. One line of explanation treats Trail as a variant of Thrale/Thrale-like forms; another links it to a Norse nickname such as Trolle or Troil, meaning “troll” or “devil.” Other writers suggest it may instead be connected with French Latreille, meaning “the vine arbour,” or with a Cornish place-name such as Tre-hale or Treal.
History
The name is found in northern England and also appears in Cornish discussions, which has encouraged several competing local explanations. In the 19th century, antiquarians debated whether the family was of Norse, French, or Cornish origin, and none of the suggestions became fully settled. The form Trail/Traill has survived as a relatively uncommon surname in Britain and later in North America.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One early writer noted that the same surname was often explained quite differently depending on whether the family was being treated as Norse, French, or Cornish.
From the historical record
“TRAIL TRAILL TRALE forms of Thrale, q.v. [cp. Dan.- Norw. trcel=Swsd.trdl, a bondman] TRAINER ] (Celt.) the Irish Treinfhear or”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)