Colette
Colette was the 316th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 962 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 209 places. More babies were named Colette in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning little Nicole (victory of the people) · French, Greek
Say it koh-LET /koʊˈlɛt/
- Rank in 2025
- #316 girls, up 216 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 962girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025962 babies
- Total since 1880
- 27,987babies recorded
What does the name Colette mean?
Colette is a French pet form of Nicolette, the diminutive of Nicole, feminine of Nicholas. DMNES records feminine forms Coleta and Colleta in English documents of 1377-1381 under Nicole, and derives Nicholas from Greek nikē, "victory", and laos, "people". Saint Colette of Corbie (15th century) and the French writer Colette are well-known bearers.
νίκη (Ancient Greek, “victory”)λαός (Ancient Greek, “people”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Nicole, Nicolette, Coletta.
See also: Greek names, names that mean victory.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Nicole', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Nicholas', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Colette', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Nicknames for Colette
The usual nicknames for Colette are Coco. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Colette in the last five years, 11 were named Coco, against 18 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coco · also for Chloe | Modern | #2,334 | 415 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Colettes go by each one.
Colette popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #316 | 962 |
| 2020 | #532 | 568 |
| 2010 | #1,167 | 208 |
| 2000 | #1,120 | 182 |
| 1990 | #1,272 | 128 |
| 1980 | #826 | 190 |
| 1970 | #501 | 395 |
| 1960 | #426 | 524 |
| 1950 | #596 | 201 |
| 1940 | #821 | 75 |
| 1930 | #891 | 66 |
| 1920 | #1,358 | 34 |
| 1910 | #1,222 | 14 |
| 1900 | #1,121 | 12 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Colette, counting every spelling?
Colette is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #336 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #316 for Colette on its own. Together these spellings went to 980 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colette | 962 | #316 | 3,835 |
| Kolette | 18 | #6,446 | 63 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Colette?
962 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Colette (0.27 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Colette born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 9 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Colette.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Colette?
About 24,400 people born in the US named Colette are alive today, with a median age of 35; half are between 9 and 61. That makes Colette mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Colette by state
How common Colette was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Colorado (2.4×), Minnesota (2.4×), Connecticut (2.1×), Wisconsin (2.0×), Oregon (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Colette: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Colette, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Colette · Sibling names for Colette
Questions about the name Colette
What does Colette mean?
Colette means “little Nicole (victory of the people)” (French, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Colette?
Colette was the 316th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 962 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 209 places. More babies were named Colette in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Colette a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Colette in the US.
Where is Colette most popular?
In 2021–2025, Colette was most common in District of Columbia (1.52 per 1,000 girls), followed by Vermont and Colorado.