Colette

Colette is a French feminine diminutive of Nicole, itself the French form of the Greek name Nikolaos, composed of the elements nike, meaning victory, and laos, meaning people, giving the underlying sense of victory of the people. The name gained widespread devotion in France through Saint Colette of Corbie, a fifteenth-century Franciscan reformer who was later canonized. It was further popularized internationally by the celebrated French novelist Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, known simply by her surname, which she bore as a given name. Related forms include Nicolette, Cosette, and the masculine Nicolas.