Violet
Violet was the 13th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 7,546 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 37 places. More babies were named Violet in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning the violet flower · Latin, French
Say it VY-uh-lit /ˈvaɪəlɪt/
- Rank in 2025
- #13 girls, up 24 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 7,546girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20257,546 babies
- Total since 1880
- 185,845babies recorded
What does the name Violet mean?
Violet is the flower name. It comes from Old French violete, a diminutive of Latin viola, 'violet'. Wiktionary describes its English use as largely a 19th-century flower name, sometimes standing for French Violette. DMNES shows the name was already in use in the 16th century, notably in Scotland, under French influence.
viola (Latin, “violet (flower)”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: English names, names that mean flower.
Nicknames for Violet
The usual nicknames for Violet are Vi. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Violet in the last five years, fewer than 1 were named Vi, against 4 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vi · also for Violette, Vivian, Violeta | Traditional | #14,813 | 50 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Violets go by each one.
Violet popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 284 since 1905.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #13 | 7,546 |
| 2020 | #37 | 5,128 |
| 2010 | #122 | 2,571 |
| 2000 | #734 | 316 |
| 1990 | #1,291 | 127 |
| 1980 | #1,025 | 141 |
| 1970 | #925 | 140 |
| 1960 | #541 | 320 |
| 1950 | #343 | 519 |
| 1940 | #217 | 783 |
| 1930 | #120 | 2,098 |
| 1920 | #77 | 3,694 |
| 1910 | #89 | 1,037 |
| 1900 | #109 | 614 |
| 1890 | #176 | 183 |
| 1880 | #239 | 42 |
How popular is Violet, counting every spelling?
Violet is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #19 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #13 for Violet on its own. Together these spellings went to 7,648 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violet | 7,546 | #13 | 32,903 |
| Violett | 102 | #1,909 | 414 |
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 Violet?
7,546 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Violet (2.09 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Violet born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 26. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Violet.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Violet?
About 104,900 people born in the US named Violet are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 4 and 16. That makes Violet a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Violet by state
How common Violet was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Vermont (4.2×), Wyoming (3.0×), Alaska (2.9×), Maine (2.7×), Rhode Island (2.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Violet: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Violet, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Violet · Sibling names for Violet
Questions about the name Violet
What does Violet mean?
Violet means “the violet flower” (Latin, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Violet?
Violet was the 13th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 7,546 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 37 places. More babies were named Violet in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Violet a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Violet in the US.
Where is Violet most popular?
In 2021–2025, Violet was most common in Vermont (16.92 per 1,000 girls), followed by Wyoming and Alaska.