Musette
A French feminine name meaning "little muse" or "darling".
Name Census estimates that about 13 living Americans carry the first name Musette. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Musette today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Musette births was 1920 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Musette. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Musette is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Musettes were born before 1968.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Musette. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
13
~ 1 in 26,365,718 Americans
Peak year
1920
10 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
1979 SSA rank
#11,330
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Musette: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Musette from the 1910s through to the 1970s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 38 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Musette by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Musette during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Musette
The name Musette has its origins in the French language, stemming from the word "musette," which refers to a type of small bagpipe or drone pipe used in traditional French folk music. The name likely emerged in the 17th or 18th century, during the height of French cultural influence across Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Musette can be found in the works of French author and playwright Molière, who included a character named Musette in his famous play "The Bourgeois Gentleman" (Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme), written in 1670. In this comedic work, Musette is portrayed as a young, charming servant girl, suggesting that the name may have been associated with a sense of youthful vibrancy and charm during that era.
The name Musette also appeared in the 18th-century French novel "Manon Lescaut" by Abbé Prévost, published in 1731. In this literary work, Musette is the name of a character known for her beauty and her association with the theater, further solidifying the name's connection to the arts and cultural spheres of that time.
One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the name Musette was Musette de Blois, a French courtesan and mistress of King Henry IV of France, who lived from 1579 to 1633. Her presence in the royal court and her relationship with the king likely contributed to the name's visibility and prestige during that period.
In the 19th century, the name Musette gained further recognition with the birth of Musette Souris (1845-1918), a French actress and dancer who performed in several prominent Parisian theaters. Her stage career and her association with the vibrant cultural scene of Paris at the time helped to solidify the name's connection to the arts and entertainment.
Another notable figure with the name Musette was Musette Vaudable (1892-1982), a French painter and artist who was part of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements in the early 20th century. Her artistic contributions and her participation in the vibrant cultural circles of Paris during that era further cemented the name's association with creativity and artistic expression.
While the name Musette has its roots in French culture and history, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by individuals of French descent or those drawn to the name's artistic and cultural connotations. Nevertheless, its origins remain firmly rooted in the rich cultural heritage of France, particularly during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.
People
Musette + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Musette as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Musette: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Musette?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Musette going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 26,365,718 US residents.
Is Musette a common name?
We classify Musette as "Very Rare". It ranks above 33.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 102 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Musette most popular?
The single biggest year for Musette was 1920, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Musette is about 68 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Musette a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Musette in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.