Odette

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 19 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Odette is also recorded as 3 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Spanish given name68K records spelled Odette3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, United States

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese

  Also written Odețťe

• Polish given name434 records spelled Odette4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Czechia, Poland, United States, United Kingdom

  Languages: Polish, Czech, Slovak

  Also written Ŏděțțě

• Hebrew given name383 records spelled Odette21 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Israel, United States, Poland, United Kingdom

  Languages: Hebrew, English, Spanish

  Also written עודד, Oded, Odet, โอเด็ต, Ōdęd

61 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Odette is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• French feminine diminutive form of the Old French male name Oda, which is of Germanic origin (from a word meaning ‘prosperity’, ‘fortune’, or ‘riches’; see pOtto). Although the original boy’s name has dropped out of use, this feminine derivative has survived.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• French feminine pet form of the Germanic male name Oda. See main dictionary.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• In French, Origine germanique, de la racine d’od- « richesse, fortune ».

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

• In French, Diminutif féminin du groupe; germanique, sens lié à l’héritage.

  as a name·Dictionnaire généalogique des prénoms

• In French, Diminutif français d’Ode/Odo, d’origine germanique.

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 129 years between 1894–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Odette Myrtilb. 1898FRFrench actor (1898-1978)
• Odette Joyeuxb. 1914FRFrench writer and actor (1914–2000)
• Lise Bourdinb. 1925FRnot in their usual nameFrench actress
• Claire Maurierb. 1929FRnot in their usual nameFrench actress
• Michèle Torrb. 1947FRnot in their usual nameFrench singer
• Anne Alvarob. 1951FRnot in their usual nameFrench actress
• Christine Lagardeb. 1956FRnot in their usual namePresident of the European Central Bank
• Émilie Dequenneb. 1981BEnot in their usual nameBelgian actress (1981–2025)
• Odette Yustmanb. 1985USAmerican actress
• Odette Giuffridab. 1994ITItalian judoka

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 752 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Odette?

We estimate roughly 199 thousand people bear Odette (counting its spellings and scripts) across 12 countries in our records.

In which country does Odette have the most bearers?

We estimate about 192 thousand people bear Odette in France, more than in any other country in our records.

Where is Odette most common?

Odette is densest in France, where the national register counts about 1 in 353 people carrying it.

How common is Odette compared with other names?

In Jamaica, Odette is the 292nd most common given name of 20,217 given names recorded there.

Is Odette a male or female name?

Odette is a female name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Odette mean?

Recorded meaning: Diminutive of Odile/Odo; Germ.