Gigi - Name Meaning and Popularity -

Meaning of Gigi

Gigi originated as a French diminutive—often short for names like Giselle, Georgine, or Virginie—before Colette’s 1944 novella and the 1958 Oscar-winning film propelled it into the broader Anglo-American imagination. In English-speaking circles it is pronounced “JEE-jee,” while the French render it “ZHEE-zhee,” a small but telling shift that keeps its Parisian passport in order. American usage has never been mass-market, yet the name’s steady, low-volume presence since the mid-20th century hints at quiet staying power: it spiked after the film’s release, slipped into boutique status through the late 1970s, and has enjoyed a mild revival in the age of social-media-friendly monikers—helped, no doubt, by supermodel Gigi Hadid. With its double-syllable cheerfulness and worldly résumé, Gigi occupies that rare space between nickname casual and given-name complete, offering parents a concise option that still answers to both Broadway footlights and everyday playground calls.