Fun Facts About the Name Babbette
- 126 babies named Babbette: U.S. records list 126 babies given the name Babbette from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Babbette Mean?
Babbette is a spelling variant of Babette, a French affectionate form of the name Barbara, and it carries the same meaning: "foreign woman" or "stranger." The ultimate source is the Greek word barbaros, which Greeks used for people who did not speak Greek; their speech sounded to Greek ears like "bar-bar," and the term came to mean "foreign" or "non-Greek." The Latin feminine name Barbara was formed from that root, with the literal sense "foreign woman." Babette has no separate root of its own: it is a diminutive built on the French form of Barbara, so its meaning is inherited rather than independently derived.
Babbette Name History & Origins
Barbara passed into French as Barbe. From that French form the diminutive suffix -ette produced Barbette, which was shortened in ordinary speech to Babette; the spelling Babbette doubles the b while keeping the same origin and pronunciation. The same French pattern gives Annette from Anne and Jeannette from Jeanne.
The root name Barbara spread widely in medieval Europe through the veneration of Saint Barbara, a legendary martyr of the third or fourth century who became one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. That veneration supported the use of Barbara and, in French-speaking regions, of its affectionate diminutive forms. Babette appears as a given name in French usage, and Babbette is a later or regional spelling of it rather than a distinct name.
Babette is also familiar from Babette's Feast, a story by Karen Blixen published in 1958 under the pen name Isak Dinesen. That literary use is far later than the name's medieval origin in the French diminutive of Barbe.
How Popular is the Name Babbette?
Babbette has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1963. Its best rank was #2,963 in 1963.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | #7,559 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #4,798 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #5,017 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1966 | #5,853 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #5,855 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #4,650 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1963 | #2,963 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1962 | #4,024 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1961 | #4,266 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1960 | #4,462 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #4,320 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #4,487 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1954 | #5,189 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #5,082 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1931 | #3,894 | 6 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with B
How the Name Babbette Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Babbette's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Babbette's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.