UK girl's name
Yvette
A feminine form of a Germanic name meaning "yew wood".
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.
Yvette is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Yvette popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5891, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 27 births.
This profile covers 262 England and Wales registrations across 28 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 11% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 348 living people in the UK are called Yvette. 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
- • Yvette ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 27 girls were registered as Yvette.
- • Yvette ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #542 in 1991.
- • About 348 living people in the UK are estimated to have Yvette as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5891
2024
Births in 2024
3
Latest year
Peak year
1996
27 births
Estimated living
348
2026
Meaning
What does Yvette mean?
The name Yvette has its origins in the French language and was derived from the Germanic name Ivo or Yvo, which means "yew wood" or "archer." This name gained popularity in France during the Middle Ages.
Yvette is a diminutive form of the name Yvonne, which is the feminine version of Yvon, the French form of the name Ivo. The earliest recorded use of the name Yvette dates back to the 12th century in France.
One of the earliest historical references to the name Yvette can be found in the medieval French epic poem "La Chanson de Roland" (The Song of Roland), written around the late 11th century. In this poem, a character named Yvette is mentioned as the wife of a nobleman.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Yvette. One of the earliest recorded was Yvette de Navarre (c. 1195-1233), a French noblewoman and the daughter of Sancho VII of Navarre.
Another famous Yvette was Yvette Guilbert (1867-1944), a French singer and actress who was a prominent figure in the Parisian cabaret scene of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was known for her distinctive vocal style and performances of chanson réaliste (realist song).
Yvette Chauviré (1917-2016) was a renowned French ballerina who danced with the Paris Opera Ballet and was celebrated for her technical precision and artistry. She was named a Prima Ballerina Assoluta, one of the highest honors in ballet.
Yvette Mimieux (1942-2022) was an American actress and author, known for her roles in films such as "The Time Machine" (1960) and "Light in the Piazza" (1962). She received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the latter.
Yvette Brind'Amour (1918-2015) was a Canadian singer and actress who had a successful career in both English and French-language productions. She was awarded the Order of Canada in recognition of her contributions to the arts.
Overall, the name Yvette has a rich history rooted in French and Germanic origins, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the Middle Ages. It has been borne by notable individuals across various fields, including nobility, performing arts, and literature.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Yvette over time
The chart below shows babies named Yvette 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 Yvette, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 27 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yvette by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Yvette 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 | #4814 | 20 | 5 |
| 2010s | #3809 | 57 | 9 |
| 2000s | #2133 | 107 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1072 | 78 | 4 |
Geography
Where Yvette is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Yvette. 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.
Yvette ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #542 in 1991.
Across the UK
Yvette in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#542 in 1991
17 years of NRS records, 89 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Yvette
-
Yvette Baker
synchronized swimmer
British synchronised swimmer
1991-
-
Yvette Rutherford
basketball player
basketball player
1982-
-
Yvette Grice
triathlete
British triathlete
1980-
-
Yvette Cooper
writer; politician; economist; researcher; journalist; policy advisor
British politician
1969-
-
Yvette Baker
orienteer
British orienteer
1968-
-
Yvette Fielding
television presenter
Television presenter and producer
1968-
-
Yvette Wray
sprinter; hurdler; pentathlete
British pentathlete, hurdler and sprinter
1958-
-
Yvette Del Agua
politician
former Gibraltar MP (born 1957)
1957-
Related
Names similar to Yvette
- Yasmin 10,052
- Yusra 2,725
- Yasmine 2,474
- Yara 1,487
- Yazmin 806
- Yumna 601
- Yasmeen 527
- Yasmina 518
- Yasemin 513
- Yana 452
- Yvie 377
- Yvonne 368
FAQ
Yvette: questions and answers
How popular is the name Yvette in the UK right now?
In 2024, Yvette was ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Yvette most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 27 babies registered as Yvette in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Yvette?
A feminine form of a Germanic name meaning "yew wood".
How many people are called Yvette in the UK?
A total of 262 babies have been registered as Yvette across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 89 more in Scotland.
Where is Yvette most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Yvette ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #542 in 1991. 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.