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Home › Baby Names Directory › Violet

Violet

♂ Boy

Pronounced VY-uh-let /ˈvaɪ.ə.lɛt/High

Meaning: A flower name from Latin viola, 'violet', by way of Old French violette. It is overwhelmingly a girl's name in the English-speaking world and has been a top-ranking girls' name in the U.S. in recent years. Used here for a boy, and we note the lean clearly.High

In 30 seconds: A flower and a colour, from Latin viola (said 'VY-uh-let'). Overwhelmingly a girl's name, and we note the lean.
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Origin MediumLatin, English
MeaningA flower name from Latin viola, 'violet', by way of Old French violette. It is overwhelmingly a girl's name in the English-speaking world and has been a top-ranking girls' name in the U.S. in recent years. Used here for a boy, and we note the lean clearly.
U.S. rank (2024)#14088 ↘ Falling
2024 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1928
Total births (all-time)≈ 284

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192819052024

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Violet came into English from Old French violette, a diminutive of Latin viola, the violet flower. It joined the Victorian wave of botanical names and has returned strongly in the twenty-first century — as a girls' name. For boys it is very rarely recorded, and any family choosing it should know that the name reads as strongly feminine in the U.S. We note that lean honestly (said 'VY-uh-let').

For boys it appears only very rarely in the U.S., against very heavy use for girls. Very rare here, cross-sex, and floral.

Did you know? Violet names both the small spring flower and the colour at the far end of the rainbow — from the Latin viola. It is one of the most popular girls' names in the U.S.; used here for a boy, and we note that lean clearly.
Overall data confidence 55%
References — Violet — Latin viola, 'violet'; flower name; strongly feminine in use

Variations

VioletteViolaVioleta

Nicknames

ViLettie

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Violet…

Sage— a like botanical unisex pick
Jasper— a like nature-adjacent boy's name
Indigo— a fellow English choice
Leopold— a similarly popular pick
Sylvester— shares Violet's English roots

Explore names like Violet

By themelatinnaturecross-sexflower

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Violet mean?

Violet is the violet flower, and the colour named after it, from the Latin viola.

How do you pronounce Violet?

It's said VY-uh-let /ˈvaɪ.ə.lɛt/ — three syllables, stress on the first.

Is Violet a boy or girl name?

Here Violet is used as a boy's name, but it is overwhelmingly a girl's name in the U.S. — we note the lean clearly.

How popular is Violet?

Violet is very rare for boys in the U.S.; for girls it is one of the most popular names of recent years.

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