Colette

Did you know?

A few things about Colette you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Colette

Colette Besson

French sprinter

Choose Colette and your child shares a first name with Colette Besson, a French sprinter. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Colette, like who?” Colette Besson's Wikipedia article is available in 35 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Colette Besson on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 1,671 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Colette, 962 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Colette would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryColette first shows up in US birth records in 1892, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 133 years since.
• 🏆Best yearColette is at its all-time high right now: #316 in 2025.
• 📈Then vs nowColette is 6.0× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 9,980 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 1,671.
• 🚀TrendColette has climbed 215 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #316. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedColette is most popular in North Dakota, where it ranks #141, followed by Minnesota (#154) and Colorado (#166). It's in the top 1,000 in 35 states.
• 💬MeaningColette is a French form of Nicole, which means “victory of the people”. Our records link it to French and Greek roots.

About the name Colette

Colette is a girl name of French and Greek origin meaning “victory of the people”. It has 7 letters and 2 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-tte”. US birth records list Colette for girls from 1892 to 2025, in 129 of those 134 years. Its best year was 2025, when it ranked #316 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #316, with 962 babies.

Origin:French namesGreek names