- Origin: German
- Meaning: “hostage army.”
- Gender: Male
- Germ Pron: (GEE-zehl-hair)
Giselher is an early Old High German masculine name formed from two classic Germanic elements, gisel (pledge) and hari (army).
The best-known figure is King Giselher of Burgundy, a 5th-century ruler who appears in both history and legend. He is immortalized as a character in the Nibelungenlied, the great Middle High German epic, alongside his brothers Gunther and Gernot.
It was also the name of an 11th-century Bishop of Madgeburg who succeeded St. Adalbert.
It is found in records as the name of Teutonic Knights in Estonia, Latvia and Poland. It experienced a minor revival in the early 20th-century but is quite rare in contemporary German-speaking countries.
Its Anglo-Saxon version of Gislhere was borne by an 8th-century Bishop of Selsey.
A more recent bearer was German composer, Giselher Klebe (1925-2009).
Its designated name-day in Austria is September 28th.
Variation & International Variations
- Gizelher (Croatian, Polish)
- Giselher (Czech; Estonian; French, pronounced JEEZ-e-LAIR; Polish)
- Giseler, Gisiler (German)
- Giselcaro (Italian)
- Gislaharius (Late Latin)
- Gizelhers (Latvian)
- Gislahario (Spanish)
Sources
- https://www.behindthename.com/name/giselher
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giselher_of_Burgundy
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gisilher_(archbishop_of_Magdeburg)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giselher
- https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giselher_(Name)
- S.L. Uckelman. “Giselhar”. In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2023, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2023/1/name/Giselhar.