How to say it
co · LETTE
/kɒˈlɛt/
Feminine
Colette
Victory of the people
What it means
A French short form of Nicolette, the feminine of Nicholas, from the Greek for 'victory of the people.'
Colette is the trim French form of Nicolette, the feminine of Nicholas, from Greek nikē 'victory' plus laos 'people.' St. Colette reformed a French order of nuns in the 15th century, and the novelist Colette (Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette), author of Gigi, gave it literary glamour. It reads chic, compact, and unmistakably French. It belongs to the same family as Nicole and Nicolette.
Popularity over time
peaked at #316 in 2025, currently #316 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Spelling
A short form of Nicolette, so a cousin of Nicole and Nicholas.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Colette French novelist, author of Gigi
Spelling variants
- Collette
- Colete
- Nicolette
Names with the same feeling
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