Gazella
A feminine name of Italian origin meaning "little gazelle".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Gazella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gazella today is around 77 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gazella births was 1915 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gazella. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Gazella is about 77 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gazellas were born before 1959.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gazella. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1915
16 babies that year
Average age
77
years old
1956 SSA rank
#6,272
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Gazella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gazella from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 56 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gazella by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gazella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gazella
The name Gazella has its origins in the Italian language, deriving from the word "gazzella," which means "gazelle." This graceful and elegant antelope species is native to the arid regions of Africa and Asia, and its name is believed to have been adopted as a given name in Italy during the Renaissance period, around the 15th or 16th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gazella can be found in the writings of the Italian poet and scholar Francesco Petrarca, better known as Petrarch (1304-1374). In his literary works, he made reference to a woman named Gazella, though little is known about her historical significance.
During the Renaissance, the name Gazella was occasionally bestowed upon Italian women, particularly those from noble or affluent families. This was likely due to the gazelle's symbolic association with grace, beauty, and agility, qualities that were highly valued in that era.
A notable figure who bore this name was Gazella Borghese (1472-1522), an Italian noblewoman from the influential Borghese family. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of various artists and intellectuals during the Renaissance.
Another individual with this name was Gazella Traversari (1501-1574), a Florentine noblewoman renowned for her beauty and intelligence. She was a prominent figure in the literary and cultural circles of her time, and her salons were frequented by many renowned poets, philosophers, and artists.
In the realm of literature, the name Gazella appears in the works of the Italian poet Gaspara Stampa (1523-1554). In her collection of poems, she addressed several pieces to a woman named Gazella, whom she admired and celebrated for her beauty and virtue.
While the name Gazella has its roots in Italian culture, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, though its usage has been relatively limited. It is worth noting that some variations of the name, such as Gazelle or Giselle, have gained more widespread popularity in certain regions.
People
Gazella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gazella as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gazella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gazella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gazella going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Gazella a common name?
We classify Gazella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 109 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gazella most popular?
The single biggest year for Gazella was 1915, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gazella is about 77 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gazella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gazella in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.