My last name is Ehli. This is from my grandpa's side, which is German Russian. Turns out Ehli is a variation of Ehle, which is a Swiss word. The word Ehle is actually North German (this is somewhat circular, I don't understand either), and its from a short form of the personal name Ehlebrecht. The word Ehlebrecht is Germanic. It means Ehle = "edge" or "point" (Of a SWORD!!) + Berht (Brecht) = "Bright" or "shining".
Here's a more structured way for easy reference for all of you interested... actually its for myself:
Ehli
Ehle (swiss/North German)
Ehlebrecht
Ehle= "edge" or "point" of a sword
Berht = Brecht = "bright" or "shining"

Thus, Ehli comes from a word that essentially means "resplendent sword", which is a beautiful thing! And when you break it down, Ehli means the edge/tip of the sword - the sharp deadly part! Wow I never knew blades were in my blood! I got all this valuable information from here.