Colette
Colette was given to 962 girls in 2025, #316 among girls’ names; 27,987 Americans have been recorded with it since 1892 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 24,400 Americans named Colette and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (87% of everyone recorded); the median is 35 years old and half are between 9 and 61.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Colette by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Colette mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Colette is “a female given name from French.”
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Colette?
#316 among girls’ names, 2025
Colette rose from #525 in 2015 to #316 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 0.33 to 0.60 per 1,000.
962 babies in 2025, the peak
Colette peaked in 2025, when 962 girls were given it, #316 among girls’ names. In 2024 it went to 790 girls.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 962 | #316 | 0.60 |
| 2024 | 790 | #401 | 0.49 |
| 2023 | 699 | #442 | 0.44 |
| 2022 | 698 | #452 | 0.43 |
| 2021 | 686 | #456 | 0.42 |
| 2020 | 568 | #532 | 0.35 |
| 2019 | 630 | #497 | 0.38 |
| 2018 | 587 | #535 | 0.35 |
| 2017 | 585 | #530 | 0.34 |
| 2016 | 677 | #470 | 0.38 |
Every recorded year (129)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 597 | #525 | 0.33 |
| 2014 | 590 | #523 | 0.33 |
| 2013 | 458 | #613 | 0.26 |
| 2012 | 426 | #664 | 0.24 |
| 2011 | 240 | #1,037 | 0.14 |
| 2010 | 208 | #1,167 | 0.12 |
| 2009 | 208 | #1,205 | 0.11 |
| 2008 | 191 | #1,301 | 0.10 |
| 2007 | 152 | #1,518 | 0.08 |
| 2006 | 161 | #1,405 | 0.08 |
| 2005 | 150 | #1,428 | 0.08 |
| 2004 | 154 | #1,363 | 0.08 |
| 2003 | 135 | #1,454 | 0.07 |
| 2002 | 151 | #1,298 | 0.08 |
| 2001 | 182 | #1,146 | 0.10 |
| 2000 | 182 | #1,118 | 0.10 |
| 1999 | 179 | #1,108 | 0.10 |
| 1998 | 121 | #1,417 | 0.07 |
| 1997 | 142 | #1,249 | 0.08 |
| 1996 | 159 | #1,139 | 0.09 |
| 1995 | 166 | #1,072 | 0.09 |
| 1994 | 134 | #1,268 | 0.08 |
| 1993 | 134 | #1,273 | 0.07 |
| 1992 | 125 | #1,339 | 0.07 |
| 1991 | 138 | #1,230 | 0.07 |
| 1990 | 128 | #1,268 | 0.07 |
| 1989 | 147 | #1,123 | 0.08 |
| 1988 | 155 | #1,037 | 0.09 |
| 1987 | 146 | #1,054 | 0.08 |
| 1986 | 182 | #897 | 0.11 |
| 1985 | 244 | #710 | 0.14 |
| 1984 | 196 | #808 | 0.12 |
| 1983 | 177 | #861 | 0.11 |
| 1982 | 192 | #817 | 0.11 |
| 1981 | 161 | #930 | 0.10 |
| 1980 | 190 | #826 | 0.11 |
| 1979 | 171 | #885 | 0.11 |
| 1978 | 179 | #829 | 0.12 |
| 1977 | 191 | #787 | 0.12 |
| 1976 | 191 | #756 | 0.13 |
| 1975 | 230 | #660 | 0.16 |
| 1974 | 251 | #621 | 0.17 |
| 1973 | 262 | #603 | 0.18 |
| 1972 | 267 | #597 | 0.18 |
| 1971 | 357 | #520 | 0.21 |
| 1970 | 395 | #501 | 0.23 |
| 1969 | 396 | #489 | 0.23 |
| 1968 | 391 | #487 | 0.24 |
| 1967 | 467 | #435 | 0.28 |
| 1966 | 595 | #372 | 0.35 |
| 1965 | 447 | #452 | 0.25 |
| 1964 | 486 | #442 | 0.26 |
| 1963 | 496 | #437 | 0.26 |
| 1962 | 475 | #441 | 0.24 |
| 1961 | 487 | #444 | 0.24 |
| 1960 | 524 | #426 | 0.26 |
| 1959 | 473 | #442 | 0.23 |
| 1958 | 496 | #419 | 0.25 |
| 1957 | 434 | #454 | 0.21 |
| 1956 | 410 | #449 | 0.20 |
| 1955 | 375 | #468 | 0.19 |
| 1954 | 378 | #452 | 0.19 |
| 1953 | 348 | #456 | 0.18 |
| 1952 | 290 | #492 | 0.16 |
| 1951 | 265 | #505 | 0.15 |
| 1950 | 201 | #595 | 0.12 |
| 1949 | 189 | #597 | 0.11 |
| 1948 | 171 | #634 | 0.10 |
| 1947 | 166 | #646 | 0.09 |
| 1946 | 135 | #689 | 0.09 |
| 1945 | 77 | #857 | 0.06 |
| 1944 | 105 | #742 | 0.08 |
| 1943 | 108 | #746 | 0.08 |
| 1942 | 88 | #815 | 0.07 |
| 1941 | 90 | #752 | 0.07 |
| 1940 | 75 | #821 | 0.07 |
| 1939 | 70 | #828 | 0.06 |
| 1938 | 99 | #694 | 0.09 |
| 1937 | 79 | #769 | 0.07 |
| 1936 | 66 | #828 | 0.06 |
| 1935 | 85 | #732 | 0.08 |
| 1934 | 67 | #832 | 0.06 |
| 1933 | 82 | #724 | 0.08 |
| 1932 | 68 | #832 | 0.06 |
| 1931 | 65 | #857 | 0.06 |
| 1930 | 66 | #891 | 0.06 |
| 1929 | 65 | #887 | 0.06 |
| 1928 | 59 | #968 | 0.05 |
| 1927 | 38 | #1,283 | 0.03 |
| 1926 | 47 | #1,099 | 0.04 |
| 1925 | 49 | #1,094 | 0.04 |
| 1924 | 58 | #1,001 | 0.05 |
| 1923 | 45 | #1,146 | 0.04 |
| 1922 | 32 | #1,434 | 0.03 |
| 1921 | 34 | #1,377 | 0.03 |
| 1920 | 34 | #1,358 | 0.03 |
| 1919 | 24 | #1,659 | 0.02 |
| 1918 | 34 | #1,305 | 0.03 |
| 1917 | 30 | #1,348 | 0.03 |
| 1916 | 36 | #1,191 | 0.03 |
| 1915 | 21 | #1,628 | 0.02 |
| 1914 | 30 | #1,102 | 0.04 |
| 1913 | 22 | #1,182 | 0.04 |
| 1912 | 22 | #1,125 | 0.04 |
| 1911 | 17 | #1,082 | 0.04 |
| 1910 | 14 | #1,222 | 0.04 |
| 1909 | 16 | #1,021 | 0.05 |
| 1908 | 16 | #1,018 | 0.05 |
| 1907 | 13 | #1,104 | 0.04 |
| 1906 | 5 | #2,009 | 0.02 |
| 1903 | 5 | #1,855 | 0.02 |
| 1901 | 9 | #1,153 | 0.04 |
| 1900 | 12 | #1,120 | 0.04 |
| 1899 | 8 | #1,194 | 0.03 |
| 1898 | 6 | #1,541 | 0.02 |
| 1897 | 5 | #1,601 | 0.02 |
| 1895 | 6 | #1,457 | 0.03 |
| 1893 | 8 | #1,103 | 0.04 |
| 1892 | 5 | #1,498 | 0.02 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Colette a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Colette has been recorded only for girls: SSA lists no boys with the name in 129 years of records (it lists a name only in years with 5 or more babies of a sex).
Girls and boys named Colette: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Colette, and how old are they?
24,400 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 87% of the 27,987 Americans ever recorded as Colette. The median Colette alive today is 35 years old; half are between 9 and 61.
The 2020 Census counted 21,691 people named Colette (21,678 women and girls, 13 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 21,016 born in the U.S. The Census count is 3% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 450 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 5,450 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 4,580 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 2,510 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 2,950 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 8,480 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Colette born?
The states with the most babies named Colette are California, Texas and New York, with 27% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 120 | #276 | 1.3× |
| Texas | 67 | #483 | 0.5× |
| New York | 66 | #259 | 1.2× |
| Ohio | 52 | #219 | 0.7× |
| Illinois | 50 | #198 | 1.6× |
| Florida | 41 | #458 | 0.6× |
| Michigan | 36 | #254 | 1.1× |
| Minnesota | 35 | #155 | 1.4× |
| Colorado | 35 | #167 | 1.3× |
| Pennsylvania | 33 | #329 | 0.9× |
Where Colette is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Colette is most over-represented in Illinois: since 1910 it was given 1.6 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Colette with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 6 names spelled alike, given to 39,122 babies since 1880, Colette is the most given (72% of them). In 2025 it was given to 962 of their 1,068 babies (90%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Colette
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Colette and names like it
- Compare Colette and ColletteBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2020sColette peaked in 2025.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Colette since 1910.
- French namesWiktionary’s origin for Colette: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2025The year the most babies were named Colette.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Colette alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with CMost given first.