French diminutive of Nicole, from Greek 'nikolaos' meaning victory of the people.
Collette — more commonly spelled Colette — is a French feminine diminutive of Nicole, which in turn descends from the Greek Nikolaos: nikos (victory) combined with laos (people), yielding the meaning 'victory of the people.' The diminutive pathway runs through Nicole to Colle and then to Colette, a form of affectionate shortening common in medieval French naming practices. The name entered the calendar of saints through Colette of Corbie (1381–1447), a Flemish mystic and reformer who rebuilt the order of Poor Clares from near collapse, founding seventeen convents and leaving a legacy of austere spiritual intensity.
She was canonized in 1807. The name's modern identity is dominated by a single towering figure: Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873–1954), the French novelist who published simply as 'Colette' and became one of the most celebrated writers of the twentieth century. Her Claudine novels, her frank explorations of female desire and aging in works like Chéri and The Vagabond, and her dazzling prose style made her a cultural institution in France.
She was the first woman given a state funeral by the French Republic. For anyone with literary sensibilities, the name carries her boldness and sensuality. Collette with the double-l spelling is the less common English variant, occasionally used to distinguish it visually or simply through family tradition.
The name has maintained a steady, quiet presence in English-speaking countries — never mass-popular, always a little Francophilic, beloved by parents who value cultural weight and a certain sophisticated elegance. It ages well, sounding equally credible on a child, a young professional, and a distinguished elder.