The baby name Gisli is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced GEES-lee (IPA: /ˈɡiːsli/).
Gisli is Norse in Origin.
The baby name Gisli is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced GEES-lee (IPA: /ˈɡiːsli/).
Gisli is Norse in Origin.
Gisli is a Norse masculine name from Old Norse Gísli, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *gislaz meaning "pledge, hostage" or "person given as surety." It was common in the Viking Age and appears prominently in Gísla saga Súrssonar, where the outlaw-hero Gísli Súrsson embodies loyalty and fate - associations that have kept the name in use. The form persists in Iceland and the Faroe Islands today, with occasional medieval attestations in Norway and Denmark, though it remains uncommon elsewhere.
Standard variants include Icelandic Gísli, the anglicized Gisli, and Norwegian/Danish Gisle. Feminine cognates in continental Germanic and Romance traditions include Gisela and Giselle, which share the same ancient root. The core sense evokes a binding promise; some modern sources loosely gloss it as "pledge" or "vow." A folk connection with Old Norse geisli "ray, beam of light" is sometimes mentioned, but that is a distinct word and etymology.
Gisli is rarely chosen. We count 23 recorded uses of it across 5 countries.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iceland | Boys | 0 | #60 | 14 | 131 |
| DK | 0 | #206 | 1 | 5,198 | |
| AL | Boys | 0 | #303 | 1 | 5,122 |
| DK | Boys | 0 | #328 | 5 | 7,401 |
| PE | Girls | 0 | #1,010 | 1 | 14,861 |
| MX | Boys | 0 | #1,033 | 1 | 16,355 |
Gisli is popular in 5 countries — most recent births per country:
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