Frequency: (163)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
German (Gäbel): 1. from the personal name Gabelo, a derivative of Gabo, of unexplained origin. 2. habitational name from a house distinguished by the sign of a fork (see Gabel). 3. South German: from Middle High German gebel ‘skull’, ‘head’, presumably a nickname for someone with a peculiarity of the skull.
GIVEN NAMES: German 10%. Kurt (2), Dieter, Ewald, Klaus.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
