The Baby Name Wizard

Reader Contributions

Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Violet!

Comments and insights on the name Violet: | Edit

We named our daughter Violet after the Afflecks did, but we were actually inspired by the Incredibles. The celeb baby namesake is a little disappointing, but our Violet probably won't run in the same circles with the Afflecks, so we're probably okay. Her nickname is Vie (as in "c'est la vie") - French for life and sounds sweet.

Personal experiences with the name Violet: | Edit

* My daughter is named Violet, which was wonderful until Ben Affleck decided to give his kid the same name. I can't tell you how many times people say "Oh! Like Ben Affleck." Grrrr. *Edited to say that the association doesn't happen that much anymore, but did a lot when Affleck's kid & my daughter were both babies. My main problem with that is I gave my daughter an uncommon name on purpose. I think once a celebrity chooses a name for their child, it becomes trendy and a couple of years later everyone else decides to use it. That's exactly what I didn't want for my child. It's not uncommon to hear Violet in NYC, where I live, but I would really hate to see it in the top 100.

* I have a new baby named Violet, and haven't received much of the Affleck feedback. Most people ask if it is a family name, as it is still very uncommon here in the Midwestern U.S. As the name gains popularity, I think the Affleck connection will fade. We also received a lot of purple clothing and potted violets when she was born, which we really liked.

* We named our daughter Violet because both my husband and I were born in the month of February and it is the flower for that month. It is also the color of our birthstone (Amethyst) and my favorite color (which was one of our colors when we got married. LOL!). It wasn't until after that everyone told us it was the name of the Affleck kid. We also received a lot of purple clothes for her and potted violet plants. :D

* My name is Violet. When I was in elementary school I really hated the name. A lot of people would try to give me stupid nicknames like Purple, Flower, and Violence. Luckily none of them ever caught on. However, I was also pretty impartial to the more common nicknames such as Vi or Violetta. My mother named me Violet because it was the name of her grandmother. I do think it's an old-fashioned name, but now that I'm older I really like it. A lot of people tell me it's very unique, and even 'edgy'. When Ben Affleck named his kid Violet I was actually more amused than bothered. It's pretty rare for me to come across someone else named Violet, so I thought it was pretty cool a celebrity child shared the name.

Nicknames for Violet: | Edit

Letty, Lettie, Letta, Vi, V, Violetta, Viva, Vivi (vee-vee), Viola

Meanings and history of the name Violet: | Edit

Violet, from the name of the flower (Old French 'violette'. Late Latin 'violetta'. A diminutive of 'viola'.) As a flower, Violet has a variety of meanings: Love; Modesty; Virtue; Affection; Faithfulness ("I'll always be true") and a Good Luck symbol for women. Violets can be either violet or white. The violet is February's birth flower.

Violet is a spectral color, near indigo in the rainbow. Though based on experience in the early 2000's, people respond as though they are reminded of a flower.

The color violet was named after the flower - first being recorded as a color name in English in 1370. The color violet has many symbolic meanings, such as: in Chinese painting, violet represents the harmony of the Universe because it is a combination of red (yang) and blue (yin); in Western churches violet is the liturgical color for both Advent and lent.

Violet was one of the earliest flower names to be used as a first name. Violette occurred as a personal name in the south of France in the Middle Ages. By the 16th C it was fairly common in Scotland, through French influence, and continued to be used there. In England Violet was used as early as 1700, becoming well established in the 19th century. By the 1830s Violet was in general use in both the U.S. and Britain. Violet was a top 100 name in the US from 1901-1926 and fashionable in Britain during the same time period.

The early run of the name was probably begun by Lord Lytton's highly successful novel "The Sea Captain" (1839) in which Violet is the heroine.

Famous real-life people named Violet: | Edit

Lady Violet Bonham-Carter (1887-1969), British politician
Violet Hunt, English writer and literary salon hostess
Violet McNaughton (1879-1968), Canadian journalist
Violet Needham (1876-1967), English writer
Violet Jacob (1863-1946), Scottish poet
Violet Oakley (1874-1961), American artist
Violet Balestreri Archer (1913-2000), Canadian composer
Violet Jessop, ocean liner stewardess who survived the sinkings of the ''Titanic'' and the ''Britannic''
Violet Hilton (1908-1969), English conjoined twin and vaudeville performer
Violet Maye Grohl, daughter of Foo Fighters frontman/ former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl

Violet in song, story & screen: | Edit

Violet Parr, daughter of John and Helen Parr (alias Mr Incredible and Elastigirl), one of the central characters in "The Incredibles" (animated feature film).
Dr. Violet Turner, character on the TV show "Private Practice".
Violet Baudelaire, main character in Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" series.
Violet Beauregard, gum-chewing character in Roald Dahl's novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and both movies the book inspired.
Violet Alden was one of the "Boxcar Children" in the series written by American author Gertrude Chandler Warner.
Violet Bick, saucy small-town girl in "Its A Wonderful Life".
Violet Gray, character in Charles Schulz's "Peanuts" cartoons
Violet Elizabeth Bott, a lisping spoiled child from the English "Just William" stories, most famous for her refrain,"I'll thcream and thcream 'till I'm thick — I can, you know"
A college fraternity, SAE, has a "Violet" song.
Violet Sanford, protagonist in the film "Coyote Ugly" played by Piper Perabo.
Violet Devereaux was the old woman in the 2005 film "Skeleton Key"