Gitel
A feminine name of Yiddish origin meaning "good fortune" or "good luck".
Name Census estimates that about 204 living Americans carry the first name Gitel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gitel today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gitel births was 1978 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gitel. 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
204
~ 1 in 1,680,168 Americans
Peak year
1978
11 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2021 SSA rank
#16,079
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Gitel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gitel from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 56 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gitel 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 Gitel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gitels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Gitel
The name Gitel is a Yiddish diminutive form of the Hebrew name Gittah, which itself is a variant of the Hebrew name Gittit. The name Gittit is believed to have originated from the biblical phrase "a Gittite", referring to a person from the Philistine city of Gath. The name is first mentioned in the Book of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible, where it refers to one of David's wives, Batsheva the Gittite.
The name Gitel gained popularity among Ashkenazi Jewish communities in Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages. It was a common name among Jewish women, particularly in areas such as Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. The name was often used as a diminutive form to express affection or endearment.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gitel can be found in the 16th century, in the writings of the famous Jewish scholar and philosopher, Rabbi Moshe Isserles, who lived in Kraków, Poland. He mentions a woman named Gitel in his responsa, a collection of his legal rulings and decisions.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Gitel. One of the most famous was Gitel Batya Vilernik (1870-1952), a prominent Yiddish writer and playwright from Ukraine. Another notable Gitel was Gitel Zaidenberg (1887-1958), a Yiddish actress and comedian from Poland, who performed in various Yiddish theaters in Europe and the United States.
In the 18th century, there was Gitel Bashevis (1710-1780), the mother of the renowned Yiddish writer and storyteller, Sholem Aleichem. Sholem Aleichem often incorporated his mother's name, Gitel, into his stories and writings.
Another notable figure was Gitel Zambarano (1892-1978), a Yiddish singer and actress from Poland, who performed in various Yiddish theaters and cabarets in Europe and America.
Gitel Zylberberg (1873-1941) was a Yiddish writer and educator from Poland, who authored several books and articles on Jewish education and culture.
People
Gitel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gitel 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
Gitel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gitel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 204 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gitel 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 1,680,168 US residents.
Is Gitel a common name?
We classify Gitel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 211 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gitel most popular?
The single biggest year for Gitel was 1978, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gitel is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gitel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gitel 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.