Kaimal is an independent Hindu community now. I don't know in which year they left the Nair community. They have made their own community organisation, Kaimal Samājam. But Kaimals who receive Mālikhāna are now the members of Kshatriya Kshema Sabha.
Kaimal(कइमळ) means noble. Kaimal was a title given to some aristocratic Hindu families by the Kings of Kerala in the olden days. According to Duarte Barbosa, a Portuguese who visited Kerala in the 16th century, when the Kings used to observe death pollution for 13 days they didn't rule their kingdom at that time. It was the Kaimals who ruled the kingdom for that particular 13 days. When the British rulers wrote Census Reports, they included Kaimals into the Nair community. It was the main reason why Kaimals were mistaken as Kiriyathil Nairs and Illathu Nairs..
The Cherthala Taluk of the present day was known as Karappuram and was comprised of two small principalities, viz, Muthedath and Iledath, the Kaimals who were the chieftains of these kingdoms were cousins and they were also closely related to the Raja of Cochin.
The Udaya royal family or Villarvattam Swaroopam, had their headquarters at Udayampettur, about six miles to the east of Trippunithura.The territories, over which the family held sway, extended roughly from Udayanapuram, near Vaikkam, in the south and about Kodungallur in the north. It lay westwards of the Kuru Swaroopam towards the backwaters and comprised the whole of the sea-board minus the territories which belonged to the chief of Itappilly and the Kaimals, together known as the Anchikaimals, and it included among others the following places Cembil, Kumblam, Panannat, Elankunnapula, Cennamangalam, etc.
Anchikaimals were tributaries of Cochin. Shri.Kesava Kaimal was prominent among Anchikaimals. He was an expert in martial arts and had mastered all of the eighteen prescribed modes of combat. The Kalari which was run under the overall supervision and under the tutelage of younger brother Shri.Purushottaman Kaimal, was renowned not only in Cochin but in neighbouring states as well. All members of Royal family of Cochin underwent their training in martial arts at Kaimal's Kalari. For this reason, Kaimal was a person whom Cochin Raja held in high esteem.
In one website it is written that "The sons of this first Tulu Cheraman Perumal were called Ner Ninta Kaimal (The straight Kaimal) and Chuzhanuu Vanna Kaimal (The Kaimal who came in a twisted way). The son born of a Kshatriya queen was called Straight Kaimal while the descendant of Vellala (agriculturist) was called Twisted Kaimal according to Keralolpathi." I don't know if this is a correct information because as far as I have heard, there is no mention about Vellalar community in Keralolpathi.
Today the surnames of Nair community are used by many other communities too. These communities do not have any similarities with Nair community and are not related to Nairs in any way.
Data were collected from The Saga of Black Gold by Anuradha, The Journal of the Ganganatha Jha Research Institute, Volume 1, Pilgrimage to Temple Heritage 2017 By Infokerala Communications Pvt. Ltd and Studia, revista semestral, Volumes 48-49
