Gisele
Gisele was the 3081st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 53 babies. Its best year was 1957, when it ranked 703rd; the most babies were born in 2009 (234). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,504 places. More babies were named Gisele in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Giselle) pledge, hostage · Germanic, French
- Rank in 2025
- #3,081 girls, down 789 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 53girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2009234 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,391babies recorded
What does the name Gisele mean?
Gisele 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
Gisele popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,081 | 53 |
| 2020 | #2,292 | 78 |
| 2010 | #1,330 | 177 |
| 2000 | #2,718 | 54 |
| 1990 | #4,424 | 22 |
| 1980 | #6,045 | 11 |
| 1970 | #3,054 | 22 |
| 1960 | #1,099 | 96 |
| 1950 | #4,935 | 6 |
| 1940 | #4,608 | 5 |
| 1930 | #2,350 | 14 |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Gisele, counting every spelling?
Gisele is a spelling of Giselle, a name family that ranked #306 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #3,081 for Gisele 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 Gisele?
53 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Gisele (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Gisele 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 158 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Gisele.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Gisele?
About 5,000 people born in the US named Gisele are alive today, with a median age of 20; half are between 13 and 59. That makes Gisele mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Gisele by state
How common Gisele was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (1.6×). In 47 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 Gisele: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Gisele, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Gisele
What does Gisele mean?
Gisele is a spelling of Giselle, which means “pledge, hostage” (Germanic, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Gisele?
Gisele was the 3081st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 53 babies. Its best year was 1957, when it ranked 703rd; the most babies were born in 2009 (234). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,504 places. More babies were named Gisele in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Gisele a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Gisele in the US.
Where is Gisele most popular?
In 2021–2025, Gisele was most common in California (0.06 per 1,000 girls), followed by New York and Texas.