Colette
Colette is a girls' name of French origin meaning “victory of the people.” It ranked #316 in the United States in 2025. Inseparable from the great French novelist Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, who scandalized and enchanted Belle Époque Paris.
how do you pronounce Colette?
koh-LET
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Colette mean?
The name Colette means “victory of the people.” It comes from the French language tradition.
Inseparable from the great French novelist Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, who scandalized and enchanted Belle Époque Paris. The name embodies literary sophistication, feminine independence, and unapologetic individuality. It has seen a strong revival in English-speaking countries.
where does the name Colette come from?
The only source retrieved for Colette is a Wikipedia list of notable people who share the name; it gives no derivation, so the victory of the people gloss commonly attributed to it as a diminutive of Nicole is not confirmed by anything found here.
the history of Colette
That list includes Colette of Corbie (1381-1447), a canonized Roman Catholic saint, alongside many later French and francophone women, but does not document the famous novelist Colette by name or the name's broader history of use.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #316 |
| 2024 | #401 |
| 2023 | #442 |
| 2022 | #452 |
| 2021 | #456 |
| 2020 | #532 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
who are famous people named Colette?
- Colette (novelist, author of Gigi and the Claudine series)
- Colette Besson (French Olympic sprinter)
what names are similar to Colette?
what names go well with Colette?
Sibling names that share Colette's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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