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Girl · Germanic, through French
Giselle
Say it: jih-ZEL
Meaning
French form of Gisela, from Germanic gisil, whose sense ('pledge, hostage' or 'offshoot') is uncertain.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Made famous by the ballet Giselle in the 1840s, and in recent decades used widely in the United States and Latin America.
Its wave through time
Most used in the 2000s
In the United States
- 45,888 babies given this name since 1949
- At its height in 2007, about 1 in 740 girls
- 930 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Gisèle, Gisselle
| German | Gisela |
|---|---|
| Italian | Gisella |
| Spanish | Gisela |
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Well-known works of literature
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.