Gissel
Gissel was the 4592nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 30 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 1288th; the most babies were born in 2004 (152). Over the last ten years it has moved down 653 places. More babies were named Gissel in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Giselle) pledge, hostage · Germanic, French
- Rank in 2025
- #4,592 girls, up 949 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 30girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2004152 babies
- Total since 1880
- 2,563babies recorded
What does the name Gissel mean?
Gissel 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
Gissel popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,592 | 30 |
| 2020 | #5,541 | 22 |
| 2010 | #2,034 | 98 |
| 2000 | #1,347 | 140 |
| 1990 | #7,024 | 12 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Gissel, counting every spelling?
Gissel is a spelling of Giselle, a name family that ranked #306 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,592 for Gissel 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 Gissel?
30 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Gissel (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Gissel 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 280 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Gissel.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Gissel?
About 2,500 people born in the US named Gissel are alive today, with a median age of 22; half are between 17 and 26. That makes Gissel 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.
Gissel by state
How common Gissel 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 Gissel: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Gissel, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Gissel
What does Gissel mean?
Gissel is a spelling of Giselle, which means “pledge, hostage” (Germanic, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Gissel?
Gissel was the 4592nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 30 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 1288th; the most babies were born in 2004 (152). Over the last ten years it has moved down 653 places. More babies were named Gissel in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Gissel a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Gissel in the US.
Where is Gissel most popular?
In 2021–2025, Gissel was most common in California (0.01 per 1,000 girls).