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Gehl Family History

Gehl Name 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


Similar surnames: Hehl, Gell, Gehm, Guhl, Gohl, Pehl, Kehl, Ahl, Mehl, Geil

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

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 1880 there were 17 Gehl families living in Indiana. This was about 19% of all the recorded Gehl's in USA. Indiana had the highest population of Gehl families in 1880.
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.

What did your Gehl ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Gehl. 16% of Gehl men worked as a Farmer and 23% of Gehl women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Gehl were Electrician and Saleslady. .

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 1940

  • Farmer
    16%
  • Laborer
    10%
  • Salesman
    8%
  • Electrician
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Stenographer
    23%
  • Housekeeper
    17%
  • Teacher
    13%
  • Saleslady
    10%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

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 US 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 the USA, 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

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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

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