Variant of Charlotte, feminine diminutive of Charles, meaning 'free woman' or 'petite.'
Charlette is an uncommon variant of Charlotte, itself the French feminine diminutive of Charles — ultimately derived from the Germanic 'Karl,' meaning 'free man' or 'strong man.' Charlotte has been a royal name across Europe for centuries: Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was Queen of Great Britain as the wife of George III; Princess Charlotte of Wales, born 2015, has refreshed its royal associations for a new generation. The standard spelling Charlotte consistently ranks among the most popular girls' names in the English-speaking world.
Charlette, with its altered spelling, represents the long tradition in naming practice of phonetically adjusted variants — names reshaped to feel more distinctive or to honor a family's particular pronunciation. The double-t ending subtly changes the visual and sometimes auditory emphasis of the name, and Charlette has appeared in American records particularly from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, suggesting it was a genuine regional variant rather than a modern invention. Louisa May Alcott's circle included women of New England with such spelling variations, reflecting the orthographic freedom of the pre-standardization era.
B. White's spider, the royal lineage — while giving the name just enough individuality to stand apart. It is Charlotte with a small, quiet signature of its own.
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