Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images. Gigi Hadid's first name is not actually Gigi. She was born Jelena Noura Hadid. But she has gone by Gigi since she was in elementary school to set her apart from a girl named Helena in her class. Her mom Yolanda Hadid sometimes called her by the nickname as well.

Why is Gigi Hadid's nickname 'Gigi'? The name Gigi was passed down to her by her mother. She explained how it happened in an interview with Vogue back in 2015. She told the publication: "My

The name "GiGi" for a grandmother? ChelseyB5186 member. October 2011. So this is new to me, but maybe you all already have this or heard of thiswhen we revealed we were expecting, DH's mom took all of about half a day to declare what she was going to be called now that she's going to be a grandmother.

The name came into the limelight after the release of the 1944 novel "Gigi" by French writer Colette. In the book, Gigi is a young girl who is being groomed to become a courtesan. The story gained immense popularity and later became a hit stage musical and a movie.

Jennifer Hussein. Updated. There is a lot that people don't know about Gigi Hadid. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images. Gigi Hadid comes from a family of supermodels. Her real name is Jelena — Gigi is a nickname. She's a skilled equestrian who loves to cook. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Advertisement. Gigi is a Taurus.

So what's her birth name? Jelena Noura Hadid. And if fans are wondering how she acquired her more famous moniker, Gigi explained it to Style.com earlier this year. Her famous mom, Real Housewives

Jelena Noura "Gigi" Hadid (/ ˈ dʒ iː dʒ i h ə ˈ d iː d / JEE-jee hə-DEED; born April 23, 1995) is an American model and television personality. In 2016, she was named International Model of the Year by the British Fashion Council . [4] The origin of the term "Gigi" is not entirely clear, but most people believe it is derived from the French word "grandmere," which means grandmother. Others suggest that it is a shortened form of other traditional grandmother names like "Gina" or "Gloria." The truth is, the name "Gigi" holds sentimental value for Hadid. Similar to Miley Cyrus' name change story, Hadid was referred to by her childhood nickname, Gigi, so often that she eventually began to identify with that name even more than her birth one. .