Hi, I hope you can help us with a baby name dilemma having to do with pronunciation!
I am from the U.S.A. and my husband is from South America. He suggested the name “Giselle” for our coming baby girl. I had become familiar with this name from time living in South America and also loved it. In South America it is pronounced “Ji Sel” which I think is beautiful and to me is the most intuitive pronunciation of the way the name is spelled. Here is the dilemma: After researching a bit about the name, I found that the most common pronunciation in the U.S.A. is “Jiz Zel” which I find really unattractive being that it reminds lots of people of the African animal and even worse the association of the first syllable of the name to the vulgar slang word “jizz”. So there is a sector of the U.S. population who would pronounce Giselle “Ji Sel” (Hispanics and I understand French Canadians also pronounce it this way) but most Americans pronounce it Jiz Zel. Could I dare to hope that our daughter could be called “Ji Sel” by others or would she be known and called “Jiz Zel” by most people in the U.S.? This would be so disappointing but should I forget Giselle and look for another name?
I pronounce it somewhere in between: I say it with a Z sound instead of a soft S, but more like jih-ZELL, with the Z attached to the second syllable, so that I never made a connection to the vulgar slang until reading this letter. I do associate the name with gazelles, but it’s a positive association: beauty, grace, cute ears, etc.
Wikipedia mentions only the Ji-zell pronunciation, but doesn’t even have it with emphasis or phonetic marks so I’m not sure if that counts as a complete entry. Forvo gives two different versions, one French and one English, both pronounced with the Z-sound. Inogolo also includes two: jih-ZELL and zhee-SELL. The Baby Name Bible says it is either GEE-zah-lah or jiz-ELLE. The Baby Name Wizard says it is ji-ZEHL. It is looking to me as if the correct pronunciation in the U.S. uses the Z sound.
I knew a Lesley in high school who wanted her name pronounced with a soft S instead of a Z, and she had at best mixed success. Her struggle was complicated by people not really hearing/noticing the difference. I do think you could get the people closest to you to use the soft S—but if you’ll be living in the U.S., and if you hate the Z pronunciation and it’s going to drive you crazy to hear it, I think you’d be happier choosing another name. I wonder if you’d like Giselle in the middle-name position, so you can still have the name but without hearing it pronounced very often?
Perhaps use Giselle as her full name but be open to a nickname (Gigi?), so you don’t find yourself feeling irritated by any ZZZs that sneak into her full pronunciation. Sella might make a lovely option to help folks out.
Marisol could be another name option if you’re looking for fresh ideas.
Or Estelle.
Best wishes to you!
I pronounce it the way Swistle does also (I’m from Ohio). Also, for what it’s worth, I recently re-watched the movie Enchanted and that’s how Giselle is pronounced in that movie too. I never connected the name with the “jizz” sound either.
I think you’re going to have a hard time getting people the hear the difference in the pronunciations. I was going to bring up the exact same “Lesley” example that Swistle did. I’m sure it’s a different Lesley that I know, but my Lesley has also been very frustrated with people pronouncing her name with a Z sound instead of an S and I’m sure it’s because people can’t tell the difference.
I have two friends with this name, and while they definitely heard this association before (ie gross college humor) neither have had a tough time over it. Its a beautiful name regardless.
Personally, if a name has multiple acceptable pronunciations and I dislike some, I don’t think the name should be used. I never want to to be that person correcting pronunciation and struggling to explain the difference when people don’t get it. And I would really really hate to burden my child with that.
I happen to think all pronunciations of Giselle are beautiful, but if you don’t think you’ll warm up to the American pronunciation, I don’t think it’s for you. Sorry.
I work in an elementary school with many Spanish speaking students and we have several girls with the name Giselle. I have noticed that some students do stress the syllables in 2 different ways, but I haven’t noticed the s vs z difference.
I second the comment that if you don’t like a possible pronunciation then move on to another name.
My daughter is named Louisa, which has a similar pronunciation issue (although luckily not the potential vulgarity issue). Lou-eeza or Lou-eesa are both acceptable pronunciations. I named her Louisa knowing that I liked the sound of both pronunciations. We say Lou-eeza, but I am glad I don’t mind Lou-eesa because she gets that pronunciation about half the time, even after people hear me introduce her as Lou-eeza. It may be like the Lesley thing, they just don’t hear the difference. I was listening to a video from her birthday of the crowd singing “Happy birthday Louisa!” and you hear some s and some z.
I don’t bother to correct people because, like I said, I enjoy hearing her name either way and just consider it a matter of different accents and we live in a diverse area and I think it’s nice. I hope she grows up to feel the same way (otherwise, oh man, I have really set her up for frustration!).
In summary, I think if one of the acceptable pronunciations really bugs you I would go for something else since it definitely will come up a lot.
I think it’s a beautiful name and very much like both pronunciations (I say it somewhere in between the French and English ways). I do think forcing the s sound would be quite difficult as people wont hear the difference. I actually live in a Spanish speaking country, speak Spanish and have used the Spanish form Gisela for one of my daughter’s toys, and it occurs to me that I was almost certainly saying it with a z sound despite knowing better. I tend to think where multiple pronunciations are possible it’s best to be laid back and accept them all (and use the one you like best at home).
Gazelles are a positive association for me, and also work really well with the name I think. Because it’s a ballet name, and gazelles have long, ballerina-esque legs, and so on… I would just embrace that.
Possible nickname to embrace the z sound: Zelda.
I say it the way Swistle described & that is honestly the only way I’ve heard it in the U.S. It does make me think of gazelles, but not jizz.
I also think of the model, Giselle Bundchen, and I expect she is likely the primary association for the name in the U.S. I’m fairly neutral about her, but I also don’t know anything about her other than she was a model and is now married to a sports player (maybe football?). But I think most people probably recognize her by name. I’m not sure how she says her own name, but it might be worth checking out. If she says it more the way you want, you can try to use her as an example to guide people to Ji-sel.
I think that those who have stated that many people don’t notice the difference is the main issue with attempting to teach others your preferred pronunciation. My married surname carries the same “s” vs. “z” issue. Prior to our wedding, my husband randomly pronounced his own last name differently at different times; it made me terribly twitchy, so I asked him to choose one pronunciation before I would be willing to take it on as my own and pass it to my children. Over time, I noticed that while we pronounce it with the “s” sound, most of his family does not. I separately asked both his mother and his father if it bothered them that we pronounce their own name differently from them. NEITHER ONE OF THEM COULD HEAR THE DIFFERENCE. I gave examples like Leslie and greasy bacon and Miss vs. Ms. and they had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. It all sounded exactly the same to them. This both mystified and somehow practically enraged me because I am very very concerned about such things.
But! Do you want to know what is worse? I have four children from 20 down to 8 who all can clearly state the difference – yet! most of them consistently use the “z” sound in spite of knowing that their parents do not and that it makes me batty. They understand the difference, but simply do not care. So, I imagine your worst case scenario would be deciding to forge ahead with the name while pronouncing it with the “s” sound and having your daughter choose to pronounce it with the “z” sound:/
Jizz is a fairly new euphemism for me, so I do not equate it with Giselle. (I pronounce it Jih-Zell).
I tried to get people to pronounce my name with the “s” it actually has rather than the “z” that’s usually used. Almost nobody does. My husband being a notable exception. Love that boy
I can hear the difference but it’s never even close to Gizz, in my opinion. The emphasis is definitely on the -sele. I actually do think the -s pronunciation is gorgeous! I think just saying it myself would make me happy, even if other people pronounced it with more of a z. It also makes me think of a girl I babysat (oh 15 years ago.. ha) who was named Julia. Her mom pronounced it Jul-ee-a whereas I only ever have said Jul-ya. I could not remember to say Jul-ee-a to save my life! And even now, I always revert to the -ya pronunciation. So basically – I think your pronunciation is beautiful and you should use the name! Unless! You really couldn’t abide by the other pronunciation being used occasionally. Good luck! And update us :)
Definitely save yourself a headache and choose another name. I can say this with confidence bc I’ve had issues with people pronouncing my name my whole life and it’s just something you’re going to have to deal with. So if you can avoid it, I say why choose a name that your child will have to struggle with. I pronounce my name EE-vuh but many people pronounce my name AY-vuh. Some people won’t get it no matter how many times I correct them. And the difference between the two Giselle pronunciations are even subtler, and like the Leslie story Swistle told, I doubt many people will even be able to tell the difference.
Also, I knew a Giselle, unfortunately nicknamed Gizzy (so I do associate this name with the vulgar slang). But I also do associate with the beautiful Gisele Bundchen. So overall, I have mixed feelings about this name.
I thought Gisele was also pronounced jih-SELL-eee in Portuguese. Guess there’s many definitions of this name
Many pronounciations* not definitions, LOL!
I’m interested in this Z S thing because of the many words in American English spelled with a Z when in Australian English it is an s. I always thought this was a spelling issue but this has made me realise that we say the words differently as well. Good to know.
For data I pronounce this as Juh-ZELL. I don’t know anyone with the name though and few here speak Spanish. I think the name is beautiful either way but I guess I like an sss sound better as it is softer.
My daughter’s name is Naomi. People say ‘Nay-omi’ or ‘Nye-omi’, sometimes ‘Nee-omi’. If this bothered me I would have gone mad by now. You can correct the close people in your life but who wants to correct people at the library/sports club/receptionist at the doctor’s office/friend’s parents etc etc. Names are often said by people we only meet once and if that will irritate you then best let it go. I am not sure my daughter has even noticed that people do this or perhaps she thinks everyone’s name is flexible because she has never mentioned it.
I don’t know why but Giselle makes me think of Cecily and Simone…
Thank you all for all your great advice and comments! I didn’t expect to get so many responses so this has been so helpful. I am carefully considering whether I could live with some people using the other pronunciation. It’s good to hear though that most people do not associate the name with the vulgar slang word! Does anyone have some suggestions of names that would be similar to Giselle? Here are some of my criteria:
–I prefer Italian or Spanish sounding names like Sophia, Isabella, Gabriella because it goes with our Surname and just because I think they are beautiful.
–I don’t like names that would likely be shortened to nicknames that I don’t like (reason why Isabella and Gabriella are out)
–Don’t want a super-popular name (reason Sophia is out)
–I like names that have an elegant/classical feel, but also a bit foreign or exotic feel as well. Since my children are half Hispanic and half European descent, I think this style suits them.
Those are beautiful names! I pronounce Giselle ji-ZELL, and don’t associate it with the vulgar term. If the z pronunciation bothers you, I agree you should keep looking.
Some other Latinate, feminine names that are less popular:
-Aurora
-Amalia
-Consuelo (love this)
-Delfina
-Carolina
-Bianca
-Isadora
-Rosario
-Adela
-Serafina
-Emilia
-Maddalena
-Cecilia
-Livia
-Lavinia
-Lydia
-Mirabelle/Mirabella
-Giulia
Oh, and one more…if my daughter had any Latin heritage at all, she’d probably be named Paloma. Such a beautiful name!
Elena!!!!! One of my favorites ever.
Hi, I would say that in French you would add another “s” if you wanted the soft sound, so Gisselle would be pronounced as it is in Spanish but I don’t know if most English speakers would make the difference.
What if you changed the name to Gisella? It might be different enough to cause people to pause or check it with you. I would also think about G names with a J sound like Genevieve, Genevra or Giovanna if you want a more common “G with a J” sound. Or maybe just spell it Jiselle if that’s what you want people to say? I do think Giselle is probably so commonly pronounced Jizzelle that you will have a hard time changing people’s pronunciation.
Also just adding that I’m amazed by how often my daughter’s name is mispronounced, even though it is what I would consider a very easy one: Alice. We routinely get “Alyssa,” “Alison,” “a-LEE-sa,” and the most puzzling, “AL-ih-say.” (The latter one is kind of close to the Italian pronunciation, ah-LEE-chay, but these people are not Italian…) So, mispronunciation might just be parr for the course for most names these days.
I have thought about Gisella, but just like Giselle better. I wonder if there is another way to spell Giselle that would lend more to the “S” pronunciation. I’ve seen variant spellings like Gisel or even Yisel although I’m not a real fan of creative spellings and I think “Giselle” looks the prettiest on paper. Is there some phonics rule I missed as a kid that causes an “s” to be pronounced as a “z” sound? I sure appreciate all the feedback!
Kay, there’s an alcohol called Alize that I think is pronounced AL-ih-say so that might be what people are thinking of when they see Alice? With that being said, I think it’s bizarre that Alice has such a classic name and you encounter so many mispronunciations.
OP, I loved a previous commenter’s suggestion of Zelda as a nickname for Giselle. Any chance that you’d consider Zelda as a stand-alone name? It’s quite sophisticated and lovely.
My niece is Giselle and I say it with the soft s sound that you like … jeh-SELL. That’s the way her parents prefer and while I probably would have deferred to a harder s – or z – sound, I am used to it and that is just how it is pronounced to me. Not sure how they fare with non-family though, or if it really bothers them or her. It is a lovely name.
For what it’s worth, her sister is Freya.
Lynn, I just think it might be how people in North America tend to speak. I think your tongue and mouth are in the same position to say the /s/ and /z/ sounds, it’s just that /s/ is unvoiced and /z/ is voiced. So they are very similar sounds.
It’s a little bit like my daughter’s name. She is Cate called Catey now. I pronounce it Kay-dee as opposed to Kay-tee. I don’t know why, that’s just what my mouth does. But if someone was wanting to name their baby Catey and it would bother them to hear Kay-dee, I’d suggest another name.
One s is very commonly pronounced z in English. Think of words such as “present,” “loser,” “visible,” “prisoner,” “design,” “busy.” Without being a linguist, I would say that it is the default pronunciation of a single s between two voiced vowels (which is why I think insisting on the other is probably a losing battle).
I would skip Giselle if the pronunciation is going to bother you.
Other names Estelle/Estela/Stella might work.
I love Paloma and Valentina
Even though Giselle is commonly used in Soutb America, I always think of it as French sounding. Maybe something French would work.
A little late to the party here but I would suggest Carmen if the s/z dilemma steers you in another direction. Carmen is used by Spanish/Italian speakers and easy to pronounce in English. I know a younger Carmen who is beautiful, mature and carries it wonderfully.
Okay I already commented above but I had to come back to this post because with the Super Bowl I mentioned the name Giselle several times AND (dun dun dun) I pronounced it Gi-sel each time. And you know what? Nobody noticed or commented that I was saying it weird (I have only heard Gi-zel). And I love it so much. We are pregnant with our fifth and all of our kids have very normal top 100 names but I’m all “let’s name the baby Gi_sel!” Haha. Anyway – do go for it. It is beautiful!!!
I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with the name Giselle! I still love the name too and can’t seem to find anything I like as much…. and also one that works well in both spanish and english since my husband’s family is hispanic. It seems that some of my misgivings about the name may actually never be an issue. ‘Giselle” is a very uncommon name where I live and most people are not even familiar with it so they don’t have set ideas about its pronunciation. Also, as one reader commented, we live in a time when unique names are so common that people are just used to names being pronounced in unique ways and are not bothered by it. I know I will probably have to live with some people pronouncing the name different than I prefer, but I’m starting to think I could live with that now, especially since it seems that most people do not associate the name with the slang word especially in the area we live.
Coming from a Giselle raised in the US with a south american parent I feel 100% ready to answer your question.
Giselle is pronounced Jiz-el by most everyone. Giselle will 100% have a problem with the unfortunate slang name and the animal. It’s not that bad after middle school though.
HOWEVER: many people don’t know the name and I have found introducing myself with my preferred pronunciation works well. “It’s Giselle like Michelle” or something like that.
Wow, thanks for that insight from someone who is named Giselle. Do you get called “Jiz-zel” by your everyday family and friends or just by people you meet only once? I’m assuming since you have a south american parent, that you are probably called by the spanish pronunciation at home. Have you asked people to call you “Ji-Sel” or have you just happy with whatever people call you? When you introduce yourself as “Giselle like Michelle” do people get it and stick to it? What has your experience been like with the name Giselle? Do you like your name? Sorry for all the questions. It is just so cool to hear insight from someone who is actually named Giselle!
I love the enthusiasm, sorry for the late reply!
I’m pretty happy with whatever people call me, usually trying my best to introduce myself as “ji-sell” with a softer S and make it less like the slang term. If people read my name first, I mainly get the harder “Z” sound. Personally I also like a softer G sounds that my family makes (they are from Argentina so the accent is a little different). But I have compromised and don’t soften it in the US because I don’t want to sound too exotic/French/trying too hard. My preferred pronunciation is more like “gshi-selle”.
My luck with keeping people on my pronunciation is iffy. I think it’s becoming a much more common name, and probably someone born now will have much less issue with it!
I will say you can be preemptive on the nickname from and go for Gigi or Elle/Ellie. My family is partial to G-smelly- but that’s just for family.
I’m sure most names have drawbacks, if I were to name myself again I MAYBE would choose my name. That’s not super fair; I liked having a unique name, I like it in Spanish, but I don’t think my parents thought of the potential issues here. 7/10 rating from my own experience in my own life. But then again, I’ve never gone by anything else!
Wow, how cool is that! My DH is also from Argentina and I first became familiar with the name Giselle while we were living there. I LOVE the spanish pronunciation. Thanks for sharing your honest opinions about your experience with your name. It really helped me to think about the issues that might come up with a cross-cultural name. We still haven’t decided if we will go with Giselle but it still remains one of my top favorites!
I have a 16 month old named Giselle and I worried a bit about pronunciation but I loved the name so much, I went for it. I call her G/Gigi most of the time!
Beautiful name :)