Gisel
Gisel was the 6635th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 17 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 1505th with 114 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 321 places. More babies were named Gisel in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Giselle) pledge, hostage · Germanic, French
- Rank in 2025
- #6,635 girls, up 1,490 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 17girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1999114 babies
- Total since 1880
- 2,283babies recorded
What does the name Gisel mean?
Gisel is a spelling of Giselle, pronounced the same way, so it shares Giselle's meaning and origin.
Giselle is the French form of the Germanic name Gisela. DMNES derives Gisela from Old High German gīsal, "pledge, hostage", since noble children were sometimes given as pledges between families, and lists a 10th-century Frankish queen and an 11th-century queen of Hungary. Adolphe Adam's ballet Giselle (1841) made the French form famous.
gīsal (Old High German, “pledge, hostage”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Gisela, Gisele, Gisselle.
See also: Germanic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Giselle', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Gisela', DMNES, Durham University
Gisel popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,635 | 17 |
| 2020 | #8,125 | 13 |
| 2010 | #2,368 | 80 |
| 2000 | #1,721 | 102 |
| 1990 | #3,553 | 30 |
| 1980 | #5,063 | 14 |
| 1970 | #8,419 | 5 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Gisel, counting every spelling?
Gisel is a spelling of Giselle, a name family that ranked #306 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #6,635 for Gisel on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,071 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giselle | 803 | #382 | 4,318 |
| Gisselle | 111 | #1,812 | 618 |
| Gisele | 53 | #3,081 | 311 |
| Gizelle | 32 | #4,390 | 214 |
| Gisel | 17 | #6,635 | 97 |
| Gissel | 30 | #4,592 | 92 |
| Gisell | 16 | #6,938 | 80 |
| Gissell | 9 | #10,378 | 47 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Gisel?
17 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Gisel (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Gisel born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 495 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Gisel.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Gisel?
About 2,300 people born in the US named Gisel are alive today, with a median age of 23; half are between 17 and 28. That makes Gisel mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Gisel by state
How common Gisel was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Gisel: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Gisel, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Gisel
What does Gisel mean?
Gisel is a spelling of Giselle, which means “pledge, hostage” (Germanic, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Gisel?
Gisel was the 6635th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 17 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 1505th with 114 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 321 places. More babies were named Gisel in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Gisel a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Gisel in the US.
Where is Gisel most popular?
In 2021–2025, Gisel was most common in California (0.02 per 1,000 girls).