Gabel
A surname usually understood as a shortened or altered form of Gabriel, meaning “God is my strength.”
The #4,907 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 43,019 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Gabel is generally treated as a reduced or variant form of Gabriel, especially in English surname lists. Gabriel is a biblical name from Hebrew, commonly explained as meaning “God is my strength.” In older records, related spellings such as Gabb, Gable, Gabell, and Gabriell appear alongside it.
History
Nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century surname writers usually grouped Gabel with Gabriel-based surnames, describing it as a shortened or nickname-like form. The name is found in medieval and later English records, though it is not especially common. In German contexts, similar forms can also arise through parallel development, so the surname may have more than one family history.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley notes an early English example, A. Gabel in Norfolk, showing the form was already in use in medieval records.
From the historical record
“Oabel.— Bapt 'the md of Ga- briel,' popularly GabeL Rare in early reg^rs. Gabriel AtielDfid, co. Kent, i»73- A. Gabel Bmn, co. Morf,, ibid.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances