Violette
A French surname and given name from the word for “violet,” often first used as a nickname for someone associated with the flower or color.
The #9,529 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 90,515 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Violette comes from French violette, meaning “violet” or “little violet,” ultimately from Latin viola, “violet.” As a surname, it was likely first applied as a nickname, either for someone linked with the flower, the color, or a similar personal or decorative association. Some older writers also suggest a dress- or complexion-based nickname, but the flower-name derivation is the clearest and most widely supported.
History
The name is better known in French as a given name, but it also appears as a surname in French-speaking areas and in families of French origin elsewhere. In older surname studies, it is sometimes grouped with other color- or flower-based nicknames. The modern U.S. surname distribution fits a relatively uncommon imported French surname rather than a broadly native English one.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Violette is one of several surnames that began as a simple plant name and later became both a family name and a personal name.
From the historical record
“VIOLETT J also a complexion-nickname; perh. also a dress-nickname [Fr. violet, violet- coloured, violette, the violet ; dim. f. Lat. viola, violet] 2 Dweller at a Path [Dial. Fr. violet, dim. of viol, a path ; prob. f. a dim. ol Lat.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)