Gisela is a girl name with a rare feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Gisela means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Gisela across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Gisela has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Gisela is a girl name of Germanic origin meaning “pledge, hostage”. From the Old High German gisal meaning pledge.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 4,246 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 26 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Gisela per year, United States (1915 to 2025). United States peaked in 1995 (160/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2001 (4/yr).
Gisela is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1995, when it ranked #1,937 nationally (given to 160 babies that year).
Giselle · Gisselle · Gisele · Gizelle · Gizella · Gissel · Gisel · Jiselle
Not sure if it's the one? The best way to know is to see if your partner loves it too. Swipe baby names with your partner and match on the ones you both ❤️, free, no account needed to start.
Find your name together →