Given name
Arlette
“an oath; a pledge”
Arlette is a variant of Arlene. One Irish interpretation is “an oath; a pledge.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Arlette is a variant of Arlene. One Irish interpretation is “an oath; a pledge.” Its derivation is not certain.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Germanic, although the derivation remains uncertain.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1913. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Arlette through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 8,109
- 0 boys · 8,109 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 600 babies
- 2025
- 600
- #494 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +63%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 600 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 494 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 62.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (150). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,708 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Arlette’s family of names
Arlette has a related form in Arlene. In French usage, Arlette has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form Arletta. In French usage, Arlette has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form Arleta.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Arlette
- Agnès VardaFrench artist, film director, screenwriter and photographer (1928–2019)
- Fernanda MontenegroBrazilian actress and writerborn 1929
- Arlette LaguillerFrench politicianborn 1940
- Herlevamother of William the Conqueror1010–1050
- Marie Gloryactress (1905-2009)
- ToniaBelgian singerborn 1947
- Arlette FargeFrench historian and teacherborn 1941
- Arlette ZolaSwiss singerborn 1949
- Arlette Marchalactress (1902-1984)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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