Variant of Paulette, a French feminine diminutive of Paul, from Latin paulus meaning 'small.'
Paulett is a variant of Paulette, the French feminine diminutive of Paul—itself one of the most consequential names in Western history. Paul derives from the Latin "Paulus," a Roman family name meaning small or humble, and it was borne by Saul of Tarsus, who adopted it after his conversion and became Saint Paul the Apostle, authoring nearly half the New Testament and carrying Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome. The name rippled outward through European Christendom for two millennia.
The French diminutive Paulette emerged as a term of endearment—little Paula, dear Paule—and flourished in France through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It gained international glamour through Paulette Goddard, the Hollywood actress and Chaplin collaborator who shone in films of the 1930s and 1940s, her name synonymous with wit and modern beauty. The alternate spelling Paulett strips the terminal e, giving the name a slightly more English-inflected, clipped feel, and appears particularly in American usage where the French suffix was naturalized and simplified.
Paulett carries a Franco-American elegance: it is formal enough for a birth certificate, warm enough for everyday use, and short enough to feel contemporary. Its apostolic etymology gives it a quiet spiritual depth, while its French diminutive form keeps it light and affectionate. It belongs to the same family as Pauline, Paula, and Polly—a clan of names that have served women across centuries with consistent grace.