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Gehl Family History

Gehl Surname Meaning

German: from a short form of an old personal name formed with Middle High German geil ‘voluptuous mischievous rich’.

Nickname for someone with blond hair or a pale complexion from Middle Low German Middle High German gel ‘yellow blond’.

In eastern Germany from a vernacular short form of the personal name Daniel.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Gehl family from?

You can see how Gehl families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Gehl family name was found in the USA, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Gehl families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 60 Gehl families living in Ontario. This was about 88% of all the recorded Gehl's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Gehl families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Gehl surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Gehl ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housework were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Gehl. 79% of Gehl men worked as a Farmer and 100% of Gehl women worked as a Housework.

View Census Data for Gehl | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    79%
  • Tinsmith
    11%
  • Laborer
    11%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housework
    100%

What Gehl family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 5,000 census records available for the last name Gehl. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Gehl census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Gehl

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Gehl. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Gehl immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Gehl. For the veterans among your Gehl ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Gehl military records

You've only scratched the surface of Gehl family history

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What is the average Gehl lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Gehl life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Gehl in 1944 was 22, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Gehl

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Gehl ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Gehl family tree

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