How to say it
gi · SELLE
/dʒɪˈzɛl/
Feminine
Giselle
Pledge
What it means
Germanic, from gisil, 'pledge' or 'hostage' — a child once given as a guarantee of a treaty.
Giselle comes from the Germanic gisil, 'pledge,' from the old practice of handing over a noble child as a living guarantee of a treaty. The Frankish royal house used it, and the 1841 Romantic ballet Giselle gave it lasting grace. Model Gisele Bündchen carries the trimmed spelling. The sound long ago outran the stark origin; it reads delicate and French. Gigi is the natural short.
Popularity over time
peaked at #134 in 2007, currently #382 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Gigi and Elle both fall out of it.
- Pop culture
The ballet Giselle and model Gisele Bündchen.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Giselle the tragic peasant heroine of the Romantic ballet
- Gisele Bündchen Brazilian supermodel
Spelling variants
- Gisele
- Gisela
- Gizelle