Gehl Family History

from the short form of an old personal name formed with Middle High German geil ‘voluptuous’, ‘mischievous’, ‘rich’. from an Old Frisian personal name formed with a cognate of Old High German modal ‘ancestral estate’, ‘home country’. 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 much altered short form of the personal name Daniel.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press