Given name · also Germanic
Giselle
“of God's promise; a hostage”
Giselle is used as a given name. One French interpretation is “of God's promise; a hostage.”
Original FrenchGisèle
Meaning & origin
What it means
One French interpretation is “of God's promise; a hostage.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Germanic.
How it developed
The name draws on Germanic gisil, meaning “pledge”.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1949. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Giselle through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 50,230
- 44 boys · 50,186 girls
- Most popular year
- 2007
- 2,596 babies
- 2025
- 803
- #382 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −24%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 803 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 382 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 23.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 2,596 in 2007. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (154). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 40,347 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Giselle’s family of names
In French usage, Giselle has a diminutive in Gigi. Giselle shares a linguistic root with Gisela. Giselle has a related form in Gisselle.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Giselle has relatives in 11 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
13 related names in 11 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 21
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Giselle
- Giselle ItiéBrazilian actressborn 1981
- Giselle AnsleyBritish field hockey playerborn 1992
- Gisèle Pascalactress (1921-2007)
- Giselle Kañevskyfield hockey playerborn 1985
- Giselle LarondeMiss World 1986born 1963
- Giselle FernándezAmerican journalistborn 1961
- Giselle KhouryLebanese journalist and talk show host (1961–2023)
- Gisele ThompsonAmerican soccer playerborn 2005
- Giselle SalandyTrinidad and Tobago boxer (1987–2009)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Giselle, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jocelyn
“from the tribe of Gauts” · “one who is cheerful, happy”
>99% girls
Isabel
“my God is bountiful” · “a giving woran”
>99% girls
Itzel
“my God is bountiful”
>99% girls
Isabela
“my God is bountiful”
>99% girls
Izabella
“my God is bountiful”
>99% girls
Camille
“a ceremonial attendant; a noble virgin”
>99% girls
Estrella
“star of the sea” · “resembling a star”
>99% girls
Anahi
Anahi is a feminine given name from Spanish.
>99% girls