Show ContentsNailer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Nailer came to England with the ancestors of the Nailer family in the Norman Conquest in 1066. The surname Nailer is for a maker of nails having derived from the Old English word nayl.

Early Origins of the Nailer family

The surname Nailer was first found in Gloucestershire where they held a family seat from very early times. There is an early record of Stephen le Nailere in 1231 in the Patent Rolls of London.

Early History of the Nailer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nailer research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1616, 1660, 1822 and 1831 are included under the topic Early Nailer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nailer Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Naylor, Naylour, Nayler and others.

Early Notables of the Nailer family

Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nailer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Nailer migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Nailer or a variant listed above were:

Nailer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Nailer, who arrived in Maryland in 1776 1

Australia Nailer migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Nailer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Samuel Nailer, aged 36, a ploughman, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Amazon" 2

New Zealand Nailer migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Nailer Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Nailer, aged 27, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
  • Mary Ann Nailer, aged 28, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
  • Eliza Nailer, aged 5, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
  • William Nailer, aged 4, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  2. South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) AMAZON 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/amazon1852.shtml


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