NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Collette

Feminine name derived from the Germanic word "Nicolette", diminutive of Nicole, meaning "victory of the people".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Collette is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Collette popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4843, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 32 births.

This profile covers 202 England and Wales registrations across 20 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 13% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 546 living people in the UK are called Collette. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Collette ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 4 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1996, when 32 girls were registered as Collette.
  • Collette ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #358 in 1997.
  • About 546 living people in the UK are estimated to have Collette as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4843

2024

Births in 2024

4

Latest year

Peak year

1996

32 births

Estimated living

546

2026

Meaning

What does Collette mean?

The name Collette originates from the French language. It is a feminine diminutive form of the name Nicole, which is derived from the Greek word "Nikolaos" meaning "victory of the people." The name Collette first emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th century, in France.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Collette can be found in the 14th century literary work "Le Roman de la Rose" by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun. The name was also popular in medieval France and was borne by several notable individuals.

Collette of Corbie (1381-1447) was a French nun and the founder of the Colettine Poor Clares, a reformed branch of the Poor Clares religious order. She was canonized by Pope Pius VII in 1807.

Collette Baudoche (1804-1891) was a French author and journalist known for her works focused on social issues and women's rights. She was a prominent figure in the French literary circles of the 19th century.

Collette (Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette) (1873-1954) was a renowned French novelist and performer. She is best known for her novels such as "Gigi" and "Chéri," which explored themes of love, sexuality, and gender roles.

Collette Wolff (1913-1987) was a French actress and director. She appeared in numerous films and television productions throughout her career and was a prominent figure in French cinema.

Collette Stevenson (1908-1996) was a Scottish botanist and plant ecologist. She made significant contributions to the understanding of plant communities and their interactions with the environment.

The name Collette has a rich history, rooted in the French culture and language. It has been borne by notable figures across various fields, including religion, literature, performing arts, and science. The name's enduring popularity can be attributed to its melodic sound and its association with strength and victory, derived from its Greek origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Collette over time

The chart below shows babies named Collette registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Collette, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2024, compared with 32 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Collette
08162432199620102024

Decades

Collette by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Collette was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #5168 7 2
2010s #5072 23 6
2000s #2264 78 8
1990s #943 94 4

Geography

Where Collette is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Collette. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Collette ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #358 in 1997.

Scotland
4
Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Collette in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#577 in 2005

31 years of NRS records, 348 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#358 in 1997

1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Collette

  • Collette McCallum

    association football player

    Australian association football player

    1986-

  • Collette Stevenson

    politician

    Scottish politician

    1969-

  • Collette Cooper

    actor

    British actress

Related

Names similar to Collette

FAQ

Collette: questions and answers

How popular is the name Collette in the UK right now?

In 2024, Collette was ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.

When was Collette most popular?

The peak year on record was 1996, with 32 babies registered as Collette in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Collette?

Feminine name derived from the Germanic word "Nicolette", diminutive of Nicole, meaning "victory of the people".

How many people are called Collette in the UK?

A total of 202 babies have been registered as Collette across the 20 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 348 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Collette most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Collette ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #358 in 1997. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.