girl's name
Odette
o-DET
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (France)
- Births on record 197,439
the United States
#881
2025 births
Odette is a girl's name meaning wealth, a French diminutive of Oda — and it is the white swan in Swan Lake, opposite her black double Odile, both traditionally danced by the same ballerina. Our data marks it reviving.
- Odette is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1925, when 7,885 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival in France.
- Today about 1 in 117,911 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Odette over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 17,540 |
| 1910s | 31,540 |
| 1920s | 70,785 |
| 1930s | 46,525 |
| 1940s | 16,830 |
| 1950s | 6,650 |
| 1960s | 1,800 |
| 1970s | 670 |
| 1980s | 170 |
| 1990s | 45 |
| 2000s | 40 |
| 2010s | 25 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 30 |
What Odette means
Odette means wealth, or prosperity, carried from the Germanic element od. The French -ette ending is a diminutive and adds smallness rather than changing the sense.
Where Odette comes from
Odette is a French diminutive of Oda, from the Germanic od, wealth or fortune — the same element that begins Otto and Odile, and that appears in English as the ead of Edward and Edwin. Its cultural weight is almost entirely Tchaikovsky's: in Swan Lake, first staged in 1877, Odette is the princess cursed to be a swan by day, and Odile the sorcerer's daughter who impersonates her, traditionally danced by the same ballerina. Odette Sansom, an SOE agent captured and tortured in occupied France, survived Ravensbrück and became one of the most decorated women of the war.
Odette in use
Odette peaked in France in 1925, when 7,885 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It now ranks 881st in the United States on 303 births, 885th in England and Wales on 40 and 6335th in France, across 197,439 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. Its American and English positions sit within four ranks of each other, while France, which holds nearly all its history, has very nearly stopped using it.
How popular is Odette?
In 2025, Odette was given to 5 babies in France. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Odette is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Odette
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Odette also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Odette over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Odette in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Odette
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Odette — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Odette
What does the name Odette mean?
Wealth, from the Germanic od — the same element behind Otto and the ead of Edward.
Who is Odette in Swan Lake?
The princess cursed to be a swan by day. Odile, the black swan who impersonates her, is traditionally danced by the same ballerina.
Is Odette coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, at 881st in the United States and 885th in England and Wales.
Is Odette related to Odile?
Both are French diminutives built on the same Germanic wealth element.
How popular is the name Odette?
In 2025, Odette was given to 5 babies in France. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Odette a girl's or a boy's name?
Odette is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Odette?
Odette has 2 syllables.
When was Odette most popular?
Odette peaked in 1925, when 7,885 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Odette a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Odette currently ranks #881 in France. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.