Giselle

Giselle glides in on pointe shoes, a Germanic name from gisil, meaning pledge or hostage, referring to the medieval practice of exchanging children as political guarantees between noble families. The French spelling softened the name into something elegant, and the 1841 Romantic ballet Giselle, a story of love and ghostly forgiveness, sealed its association with dance. Two syllables, zhee-ZEL or jih-ZEL, a name that turns like a pirouette. It has climbed on American charts since the 1990s, a favorite across Hispanic and Francophone families. The name feels graceful and spirited together. Giselle suits a girl with long limbs and longer focus, a quiet, determined kind of beauty.