Girl · #15,178 in 2026

Babette

Babette is a feminine given name, a pet form of Barbara. Notable people with the name include:Babette Babich, American philosopher Babette Cole (1950–2017), English children's writer and illustrator Babette Cochois (1725–1780), French ballerina Babette DeCastro (1925–1992), one of the DeCastro Sisters singing trio Babette Deutsch (1895–1982), American poet, critic, translator, and…

  • French
  • German
  • Dutch
  • English
Current Rank
#15,178
Peak Rank
#785 (1961)
Total Babies
3K
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1891
First Year
2023
Last Year
1961
Peak Year
#785
Peak Rank
3K
Total Count
91
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Babette

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Babette is a feminine given name, a pet form of Barbara. Notable people with the name include:Babette Babich, American philosopher Babette Cole (1950–2017), English children's writer and illustrator Babette Cochois (1725–1780), French ballerina Babette DeCastro (1925–1992), one of the DeCastro Sisters singing trio Babette Deutsch (1895–1982), American poet, critic, translator, and…

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • French
  • German
  • Dutch
  • English

The Story of Babette

Babette first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1891, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1961: 178 births, good for #785 nationwide. About 36% of every Babette on record arrived during the 1960s, its defining decade. Babette last appeared in the published SSA data in 2023, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 3K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1890s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Babette

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Babette. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Babette

Phonetically similar names — useful when Babette is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Babette

What does the name Babette mean?
Babette is a feminine given name, a pet form of Barbara. Notable people with the name include:Babette Babich, American philosopher Babette Cole (1950–2017), English children's writer and illustrator Babette Cochois (1725–1780), French ballerina Babette DeCastro (1925–1992), one of the DeCastro Sisters singing trio Babette Deutsch (1895–1982), American poet, critic, translator, and…
What is the origin of the name Babette?
Babette has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: French, German, Dutch, English.
How popular is Babette in 2026?
In 2026, Babette ranks #15,178 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.
When was Babette most popular?
Babette reached its peak popularity in 1961, ranking #785 that year with 178 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Babette most popular?
Babette has historically been most popular in Colorado, Wisconsin, Missouri. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Babette.
Is Babette a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Babette is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Babette?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Babette include Karyl, Eugene, Treva. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Babette?
Common variants and related forms of Babette include Barbara, Barbe, Barbra, Élisabeth, Elisabeth, Élise. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

Similar Names

👧
Karyl
Peak #785
👧
Eugene
Peak #786
👧
Treva
Peak #784
👧
Afton
Peak #784
👧
Suzie
Peak #784
👧
Reanna
Peak #786
👧
Grisel
Peak #784
👧
Shanell
Peak #784

About the name Babette

Babette is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1891 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Babette's peak popularity came in 1961 when it ranked #785. Use the chart and map above to compare Babette's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.