Pledge or hostage
Derived from the Germanic word 'gisil', meaning 'pledge' or 'hostage'. Historically, it referred to a child left at a foreign court as a pledge of alliance. It is a more elaborate, Italian-influenced variation of the classic name Giselle.
Less common today
Gisella isn't in the latest US Top 1000. It last peaked at #2,706 in 2009.
Hungarian gynecologist and Holocaust survivor
Italian actress and producer
Austro-Hungarian American painter and illustrator
US births per 5-year period, 1990–present (SSA data).
