Gisell
Feminine form of the Germanic name Gisela, derived from a compound of elements meaning "pledge" and "staff".
Name Census estimates that about 1,823 living Americans carry the first name Gisell. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gisell today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gisell births was 2005 (102 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gisell. 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.
People living today
1.8K
~ 1 in 188,017 Americans
Peak year
2005
102 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,012
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Gisell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gisell from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 910 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gisell 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 Gisell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gisells live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. California, Texas, Arizona recorded the most babies named Gisell, while New Jersey, Washington, Oregon recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 80 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gisell
The name Gisell has its origins in the Germanic languages, derived from the Old German word "gisal," meaning "hostage" or "pledge." This name gained popularity during the Middle Ages in various regions of Europe where Germanic tribes had settled.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gisell can be found in the 8th century, when a Frankish noblewoman named Gisella lived during the reign of Charlemagne. She was the daughter of King Desiderius of the Lombards and was married to Charlemagne's son Pepin.
In the 11th century, a notable figure named Giselle de Merania was born into a noble family in Bavaria. She became the wife of King Stephen I of Hungary and played a significant role in promoting Christianity in the region.
The name Gisell also found its way into literature, with one of the earliest mentions being in the 12th-century French epic poem "Chanson de Roland." In this work, a character named Giselle is portrayed as a brave and loyal warrior.
During the Renaissance period, a famous Italian painter named Gisella Zampieri, born in 1590, gained recognition for her portraits and religious works. She was a prominent figure in the Bolognese school of painting.
Another notable figure with the name Gisell was Giselle Ansley, a British ballerina born in 1848. She is best known for her portrayal of the lead role in the romantic ballet "Giselle," which premiered in Paris in 1841 and is still widely performed today.
Throughout history, the name Gisell has been spelled in various ways, such as Gisela, Giselle, Gisele, and Giselda, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions. Despite its Germanic roots, the name has gained popularity across Europe and beyond, with variations and adaptations in various languages and cultures.
People
Gisell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gisell 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
Gisell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gisell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,823 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gisell 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 188,017 US residents.
Is Gisell a common name?
We classify Gisell as "Rare". It ranks above 93.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,858 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gisell most popular?
The single biggest year for Gisell was 2005, when 102 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gisell is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gisell a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gisell 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.