The baby name Colette blends literary history with an on-trend sound.
Thanks to Laura for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME COLETTE MEAN?
Let’s begin with Nicholas, a name with Greek origins. It’s classic and timeless, which means it has plenty of related names and spin-offs. But it also peaked in popularity during the 1990s, so we sometimes hear Nicholas as trendy.
Nicholas means “victory of the people.” All related names share the same meaning, like feminine form of Nicholas Nicole.
And the first name Colette? It’s actually part of this family, too.
In French, Nicolette is a diminutive form of the name Nicole. Actress Nicollette Sheridan raised the name’s profile as Desperate Houswives’ Edie Britt and the recent reboot of Dynasty.
Drop the Nic-, and Colette is, strictly speaking, a double-diminutive of Nicole.
The last name Collett also comes from Nicholas.
Despite this origin, the baby name Colette feels like a distinctive, independent choice – not a nickname name.
SAINT COLETTE
One possible reason: the French nun known to history as Saint Colette.
During the 15th century, she founded a religious order with a focus on increased piety. Colette lived as a hermit and eventually established a reformed order of the Poor Clares. Colettine orders are still active across the world.
LITERARY COLETTE
Born Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette in 1873, Colette grew up to use only her surname as her pen name.
As Colette, she’s remembered mainly for her 1944 novel Gigi. It became a successful movie and stage production, too. The 1958 movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
In turn of the century France, her writing was scandalous; her real life, equally so.
Colette passed her surname on to her daughter as a given name. It became quite stylish in France in the middle of the 20th century. The name’s popularity seems linked to the writer.
After the author’s death in 1954, she became the first woman ever given a state funeral in France.
PIXAR’S COLETTE
Disney fans might recognize Colette Tatou as Linguini’s love interest from 2007’s Ratatouille. Actress Janeane Garofolo voiced the no-nonsense chef.
When it comes to baby name inspiration, Disney-Pixar movies have launched many a name – including Remy, from the same film.
It makes the baby name Colette feel like a classic French female name, stylish and restrained.
HOW POPULAR IS THE BABY NAME COLETTE?
Besides France, Colette has also trended in Ireland in recent years.
But how has the baby name Colette fared in the US?
After all, we love the name Cole for boys. And many a little girl answers to Juliette, Violet, Scarlett, or Charlotte.
As it happens, the baby name Colette peaked in 1966 at #372. But as of 2024, the name charted at #400 – nearly as high as that prior rank.
The name has lots of momentum right now, too. Potential nicknames Coco and Lettie make the name even more versatile.
THE BABY NAME COLETTE: ONE TO WATCH
All of this make the baby name Colette one to watch. It’s trim and stylish, traditional but fresh.
Parents say thing like, “Why don’t we hear Colette more?”
That could change, but for the moment, it’s the perfect name for parents after something sophisticated and just slightly different.
What do you think of the baby name Colette?
First published April 2, 2011, this post was revised substantially and re-posted on July 12, 2025.
Just letting you know that the rest of this article is missing! I’d love to read it! Thanks!
Emmy, it was nice to read your perspective. I actually like that the name is not necessarily on trend and am hoping that is stays that way for awhile. I also like the strong ette ending vs. the softer lit but I had never even thought about the difference. I definitely favor the French pronunciation Coh let vs. the not so pleasing to my ear Cawl ette. My one big worry was that I would constantly feel the need to correct people’s pronunciation but I have decided to let it go knowing that our families are on board with the pronunciation we like. Who really cares how the bank teller says her name anyway. Thanks for your input.
Congratulations, Laura! All the first-middle combos you’re considering are lovely.
To echo Isadora Vega’s wording, for the sake of general name discussion, I don’t find Colette to be at all “on trend” as Abby has stated. (And, Laura, there’s nothing wrong with choosing a name that isn’t on trend. In fact, it’s quite refreshing.) But here’s why I don’t think Colette fits with today’s popular names:
Yes, the “et” enders are stylish right now, but have you noticed they’re not “ette” enders? It’s not just a matter of spelling. The “ette” enders tend to be stressed on the final syllable, whereas the “et” enders are stressed on the middle syllable. Consider:
Charlotte (SHAR-lit) vs. Colette (col-ET)
Violet (VIE-lit) vs. Yvette (ee-VET)
Scarlett (SKAR-lit) vs. Suzette (soo-ZET)
Do you notice that in each pair, the first sounds quite stylish but the second not so much? As an aside, you see this in the Irish names we’ve been using, too — not just the French names. Consider how the once-popular Kathleen (kath-LEEN) has been replaced with the ubiquitous Caitlin (KAIT-lin), and how Eileen (ie-LEEN) has been far outshone by the similar-sounding but differently-stressed Aisling (ASH-lin). See the shift in syllable rhythm?
I think the majority of two-syllable iambic names (names stressed on the second syllable), such as most French names, sound rather dated. This isn’t the case with three-syllable French names, which seem to be experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Consider:
Michelle vs. Marcheline
Marie vs. Madeline
Jeanette vs. Juliette
Joelle vs. Josephine
Yvonne vs. Vivienne
Nicole vs. Nicolette
Christine vs. Clementine
Lucille vs. Lucienne
Aimee vs. Amelie
Annette vs. Antoinette
You may argue with a few of these, but in general, I find the second name in each pair above (the three syllable name) to be more stylistically on-trend. This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule. There are plenty of two-syllable French girls’ names that still sound fashionable (like Elise or Mireille or Giselle). And those who are looking to be a couple steps ahead of the naming curve may be wise in calling their daughters Louise and Colette. But it will still probably be a good 20 to 30 years before the rest of the country is ready to follow suit.
Oops, in the third paragraph, I meant to say:
the “et” enders are stressed on the first syllable
Checking the list of names Abby has profiled, I found more about Isabeau, as well as Genevieve, Valentina and Valencia. I like each of them with Colette. I’m sure it’s both fun and a challenge to choose just one from among these names and other suggestions. Best wishes!
Laura, I’m wondering if you’re considering middle names mostly by sound or if Valentina and Valencia also have some special meaning for you and your husband. Both *sound* fabulous with Colette. Meaning occurred to me when I suggested Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris. How much more French could a name be?
As for Abby’s suggestion of Isabeau, I love it! Ever since I first saw the name on a baby name website a few years ago, I’ve been intrigued by the medieval Isabeau.: lovely name but why the masculine ‘beau’ ending rather than the feminine ‘belle”? Just now I looked for Isabeau on aufeminin and found an answer in the comments from the mother of an Isabeau born in 1988. This maman shared that she found the name while reading “The Passengers of the Wind” by Fran