If I saw it in print, I would think that it was supposed to be
Daniel but the N key wasn't working and nobody noticed.
I would assume the character would be male if it was pronounce DAYL
I think it could sorta maybe work on a girl if it was pronounced day-EL (mostly because the emphasis on the
EL makes it more feminine)
To be completely honest I don't like it, it looks like a typo. If I had to choose I think it would be better on a male, pronounced DAYL.