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Colette

Gender
Girl
Say it
ko-LET
Origin
Greek
UK rank, 2025
#1,460 for girls
US rank, 2025
#316 for girls

Colette is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “victory of the people”. In 2025 it ranked 1,460th for girls in the UK (22 babies) and 316th for girls in the US (962 babies).

What does Colette mean?

Greek: French short form of Nicolette, from Nicholas

“victory of the people”

Borne by the French novelist Colette, author of Gigi, and by St Colette, a 15th-century reformer of the Poor Clares.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Colette a girl's or a boy's name?

Colette is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 22 girls in the UK and 962 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Colette in the UK?

Rank in 2025
1,460th among girls
Babies in 2025
22 about 1 in 13,000 girls
Five-year trend
Steady much the same
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 22 girls in the UK were named Colette, making it the 1,460th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,587th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 90 girls.

Half of all the girls named Colette in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2016. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

In 2025, 25 girls in the UK were given Colette or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,169, up from #1,460 for this spelling alone.

Among girls in 2025, it was 1,407th in England and Wales.

1996Busiest: 90 in 19962025
Colette in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
202522#1,460
202418#1,726
202319#1,666
202226#1,325
202123#1,448
202020#1,587
201927#1,285
201812#2,320
201716#1,913
201615#2,015
201518#1,739
20149#2,809
201312#2,309
201217#1,828
20119#2,794
201023#1,418
200912#2,153
200810#2,454
200713#1,964
200621#1,319
200516#1,521
200424#1,081
200316#1,420
200225#990
200131#832
200033#772
199940#676
199868#486
199760#519
199690#402

How popular is Colette in the US?

Rank in 2025
316th among girls
Babies in 2025
962 about 1 in 1,700 girls
Five-year trend
Rising up 37% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 962 girls in the US were named Colette, making it the 316th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 531st. It first appears in the records in 1892.

It has been given to more girls each year for the last 5 years. 2025 had the most girls named Colette of any year since it first appeared, in 1892.

Half of all the girls named Colette in the US since 1880 were born between 1961 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 1,062 girls in the US were given Colette or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #317.

1892Busiest: 962 in 20252025
Colette in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025962#316
2024790#401
2023699#442
2022698#452
2021686#456
2020568#531
2019630#497
2018587#535
2017585#529
2016677#470
2015597#525
2014590#522
2013458#613
2012426#663
2011240#1,036
2010208#1,165
2009208#1,205
2008191#1,299
2007152#1,517
2006161#1,403
2005150#1,425
2004154#1,362
2003135#1,453
2002151#1,296
2001182#1,146
2000182#1,118
1999179#1,106
1998121#1,414
1997142#1,247
1996159#1,137
1995166#1,071
1994134#1,266
1993134#1,269
1992125#1,337
1991138#1,229
1990128#1,268
1989147#1,120
1988155#1,036
1987146#1,052
1986182#896
1985244#709
1984196#807
1983177#860
1982192#817
1981161#930
1980190#824
1979171#885
1978179#829
1977191#787
1976191#755
1975230#660
1974251#621
1973262#603
1972267#597
1971357#520
1970395#501
1969396#489
1968391#487
1967467#435
1966595#372
1965447#452
1964486#442
1963496#437
1962475#441
1961487#444
1960524#426
1959473#442
1958496#419
1957434#454
1956410#449
1955375#468
1954378#452
1953348#456
1952290#492
1951265#505
1950201#595
1949189#597
1948171#634
1947166#645
1946135#686
194577#856
1944105#741
1943108#745
194288#814
194190#751
194075#820
193970#824
193899#693
193779#768
193666#827
193585#729
193467#831
193382#721
193268#830
193165#857
193066#889
192965#886
192859#967
192738#1,278
192647#1,096
192549#1,089
192458#999
192345#1,142
192232#1,430
192134#1,374
192034#1,349
191924#1,649
191834#1,299
191730#1,337
191636#1,189
191521#1,622
191430#1,098
191322#1,176
191222#1,117
191117#1,071
191014#1,207
190916#1,015
190816#1,004
190713#1,092
19065#1,951
19050–
19040–
19035#1,791
19020–
19019#1,136
190012#1,105
18998#1,180
18986#1,501
18975#1,554
18960–
18956#1,426
18940–
18938#1,091
18925#1,450

Names like Colette

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Daphne, Charlotte, Celine, Chloe, Zoe, Penelope, Nicole, Celeste, Camille, Margot, Jasmine, Michelle

Other spellings of Colette

Collette, Kolette

Names related to Colette

Coletta

More Greek names

Luca, Theodore, Sophia, George, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Alexander, Sebastian, Phoebe, Luke, Sophie, Iris, Maisie, Lainey, Elena

Every Greek name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Colette: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/colette, updated 20 October 2026.