Gisella
A feminine name of Germanic origin meaning "bright pledge" or "hostage".
Name Census estimates that about 1,396 living Americans carry the first name Gisella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gisella today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gisella births was 2009 (67 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gisella. 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
1.4K
~ 1 in 245,526 Americans
Peak year
2009
67 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,582
Tracked since 1895
Popularity
Gisella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gisella from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 468 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Gisella remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gisella 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 Gisella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gisellas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Gisella, while Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 69 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gisella
The name Gisella has its origins in the Germanic languages, derived from the root words "gis" meaning a pledge or hostage, and "hild" meaning battle. This combination results in the meaning "battle pledge" or "pledge of battle." The name's roots can be traced back to the early medieval period, around the 5th to 8th centuries.
One of the earliest known references to the name Gisella can be found in the Carolingian dynasty, which ruled a large portion of western and central Europe from the late 8th to the late 9th century. Gisela, daughter of the powerful King Louis the Pious, was born around 820 and married Evrard, Count of Friuli. Her name was spelled in various ways, including Gisela, Gisla, and Gisella.
In the 11th century, Gisella of Burgundy (c. 1075 - 1133) was a French duchess and an influential figure in the Crusades. She was the daughter of William I, Count of Burgundy, and accompanied her husband, Humbert II of Savoy, on the First Crusade in 1096.
Another notable figure was Gisella of Merseburg (c. 989 - 1043), a German noblewoman and a member of the Ottonian dynasty. She was the daughter of Count Herman of Merseburg and Matilda of Saxony.
In the 13th century, Gisella of Aragon (c. 1215 - 1259) was a Spanish princess and the daughter of King James I of Aragon and his second wife, Violant of Hungary. She married the Count of Roussillon and was known for her piety and charitable works.
Gisella Perl (1907 - 1988) was a Romanian-American Holocaust survivor and gynecologist. She was forced to work as a doctor in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II, where she helped deliver thousands of babies in horrific conditions. Her memoir, "I Was a Doctor in Auschwitz," recounts her experiences.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Gisella or its variations. The name's longevity and historical significance underscore its enduring appeal across different cultures and time periods.
People
Gisella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gisella 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
Gisella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gisella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,396 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gisella 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 245,526 US residents.
Is Gisella a common name?
We classify Gisella as "Rare". It ranks above 92% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,513 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gisella most popular?
The single biggest year for Gisella was 2009, when 67 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gisella is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gisella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gisella 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.