Family name origins & meanings
- Americanized spelling of German Nissle, a pet form of the personal names Dionys (Denis) or Nikolaus (see Nicholas).
- Americanized spelling of German Nüssli, Nüssle, Nüsslein, topographic names for someone who lived near a place where nut trees grew, from Middle High German nuz ‘nut’ + the diminutive suffix -le, -lein.
- Altered spelling of North German Nissler or Nüssler, a nickname for a slow worker, from Low German nusse ‘slow, weak person’.