Gizzelle
A feminine variant of the French name Giselle, meaning "bright pledge" or "bright promise".
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the first name Gizzelle. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gizzelle today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gizzelle births was 2008 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gizzelle. 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
115
~ 1 in 2,980,473 Americans
Peak year
2008
16 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2017 SSA rank
#16,725
Tracked since 2000
Census
Gizzelle in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 138 people with the first name Gizzelle, which placed it at #47,373 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#47,373
National first-name rank
People counted
138
138 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
72.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gizzelle
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gizzelle is Hispanic at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and White (5.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Gizzelle described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Gizzelle at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino72.5% · 100
- Black or African American13.0% · 18
- White5.8% · 8
- Two or more races5.1% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 5
Popularity
Gizzelle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gizzelle from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 88 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Gizzelle remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gizzelle 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 Gizzelle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gizzelles live
Origin
Meaning and history of Gizzelle
The name Gizzelle is believed to have originated from the French name Giselle, which is a diminutive form of the Germanic name Gisela. The name Gisela itself is derived from the Germanic elements "gis" meaning "hostage" or "pledge" and "hild" meaning "battle" or "combat."
The name Giselle can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with records showing its usage in various regions of Europe during that time period. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Saint Gisela, a German noblewoman who lived in the 10th century and was renowned for her piety and charity work.
In the realm of literature, the name Giselle gained prominence through the romantic ballet "Giselle," which premiered in Paris in 1841. The ballet tells the tragic tale of a young peasant girl named Giselle who falls in love with a nobleman disguised as a commoner. The ballet's beautiful music and haunting storyline have made it a beloved classic in the world of dance.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Gizzelle or variations of it. One such person was Gisele Bundchen, the Brazilian supermodel born in 1980, who has graced the covers of numerous fashion magazines and has been a prominent figure in the fashion industry for over two decades.
Another famous Giselle was Giselle Pascal, a French actress and singer born in 1923. She was known for her roles in various films and theatrical productions during the mid-20th century. Pascal's talent and captivating performances earned her a place in the annals of French cinema.
In the realm of music, Gizelle Smith, an American singer and songwriter born in 1968, has made a name for herself with her soulful R&B and gospel recordings. Her powerful vocals and heartfelt lyrics have garnered critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase.
Additionally, in the world of sports, there was Giselle Ansley, an Australian tennis player born in 1942, who achieved success in both singles and doubles competitions during her career in the 1960s and 1970s. Her skill and determination on the court earned her recognition as one of Australia's top tennis players of her time.
The name Gizzelle, while less common than its French counterpart Giselle, has a rich history spanning centuries and cultures. From its Germanic roots to its appearances in literature, arts, and various fields, this name has left an indelible mark on the tapestry of human history.
People
Gizzelle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gizzelle 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
Gizzelle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gizzelle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 115 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gizzelle 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 2,980,473 US residents.
Is Gizzelle a common name?
We classify Gizzelle as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 117 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gizzelle most popular?
The single biggest year for Gizzelle was 2008, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gizzelle is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gizzelle in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 138 people with the name Gizzelle, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #47,373 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Gizzelle in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Gizzelle?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gizzelle leans strongly female. 134 people counted with this name were female (98.5%), compared with 2 male bearers (1.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Gizzelle?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gizzelle is Hispanic at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and White (5.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Gizzelle most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Gizzelle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.5% (100 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gizzelle in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gizzelle a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gizzelle 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.
Is Gizzelle still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gizzelle in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gizzelle can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have Gizzelle as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.