Gissela
A feminine name of German origin meaning "bright pledge" or "hostage".
Name Census estimates that about 229 living Americans carry the first name Gissela. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gissela today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gissela births was 2003 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gissela. 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
229
~ 1 in 1,496,744 Americans
Peak year
2003
20 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,575
Tracked since 1985
Popularity
Gissela: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gissela from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 106 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
Gissela 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 Gissela during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gisselas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Gissela
The name Gissela has its origins in the Germanic languages, with roots dating back to the 6th century. It is a feminine form of the Old German name Gisil, which means "hostage" or "pledge." The name was particularly popular in the Frankish territories during the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gissela can be found in the Liber Historiae Francorum, a 7th-century Frankish chronicle. The text mentions a Gissela who was the wife of King Clovis I, the founder of the Merovingian dynasty. This Gissela lived in the late 5th and early 6th centuries.
In the 9th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Gisela, the daughter of Louis the Pious, the Carolingian Emperor and King of the Franks. Gisela lived from 819 to 874 and played a significant role in the political affairs of the Carolingian Empire.
Another notable figure in history who bore the name Gissela was Gisela of Burgundy, who lived from around 965 to 1007. She was the daughter of King Conrad of Burgundy and became the wife of the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry II. Gisela of Burgundy was known for her piety and charitable works.
In the 11th century, Gisela of Swabia, who lived from 990 to 1043, was a significant figure. She was the wife of Emperor Conrad II and played an influential role in the imperial court of the Holy Roman Empire.
During the 12th century, Gisela of Bavaria, who lived from 1165 to 1188, was a notable figure. She was the daughter of Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, and married Leopold V, Duke of Austria.
While the name Gissela has its roots in the Germanic languages, it has been adapted and used in various cultures throughout history, including in the Slavic, Scandinavian, and Romance language regions. Its popularity has waxed and waned over the centuries, but it remains a significant name with a rich historical legacy.
People
Gissela + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gissela 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
Gissela: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gissela?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 229 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gissela 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 1,496,744 US residents.
Is Gissela a common name?
We classify Gissela as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 234 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gissela most popular?
The single biggest year for Gissela was 2003, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gissela is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gissela a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gissela 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.