Giselle

At a Glance: Name: Giselle – Meaning: pledge, hostage – Origin: French, from Germanic – Gender: Girl – Pronunciation: jih-ZEL

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Giselle is a French name built on a Germanic root meaning 'pledge' or 'hostage,' and it's pronounced jih-ZEL. You may have heard that it also means 'adopted' — that part isn't backed by the etymology, so it's worth setting aside. It's timeless and classic, a name with staying power rather than a fleeting trend.

Meaning & Origin of Giselle

Meaning: Pledge, hostage.

Origin: French, from Germanic.

A common claim: Giselle means 'pledge, hostage, adopted' Actually: The 'adopted' gloss isn't backed by the etymology — Giselle's Germanic root means only 'pledge' or 'hostage.'

Source: Wiktionary, Wikipedia.

How to Pronounce Giselle

Phonetic: jih-ZEL   IPA: /dʒɪˈzɛl/

Popularity of Giselle

Giselle ranked #356 in 2024 with 871 babies given the name, well off its peak of #134 in 2007, when 2,596 girls received it.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1949–2024.

Make Giselle Name Art

Free printable nursery art for Giselle, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.

Names With a Similar Story

Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.

• Adelaide
• Karla
• Willa
• Annalise
• Carl
• Christa

FAQ

What does the name Giselle mean?

Pledge, hostage. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Giselle)

How do you pronounce Giselle?

Giselle is pronounced jih-ZEL (IPA: /dʒɪˈzɛl/).

Is Giselle a popular name right now?

Giselle peaked at #134 in 2007 and is ranked #356 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1949–2024.)

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