The rare name Lillette appeared in the U.S. baby name data for four sequential years from the late ’40s to the early ’50s:
- 1952: unlisted
- 1951: 5 baby girls named Lillette
- 1950: 9 baby girls named Lillette
- 1949: 9 baby girls named Lillette
- 1948: 8 baby girls named Lillette [debut]
- 1947: unlisted
Where did the name come from?
A song called “Lillette,” written and composed by Jack Gold in 1948. The same year, it was recorded and released by various vocalists: Nat King Cole, Vic Damone, Bill Lawrence, Jean Sablon, Johnny Desmond, and others.
Billboard preferred the King Cole Trio version:
Cole’s tasty rhythm treatment of the appealing rhythm ballad looks like a good bet for the jukes, the jocks, and the over-the-counter sales. Standout among some half-dozen waxings of the tune, the impeccable Cole treatment brings out the best in the lyric and melody. Worthy of attention, too, is Vic Damone’s Mercury platter of the ditty.
Here’s Nat King Cole’s version of “Lillette”:
I’m not sure where Jack Gold found the name Lillette, but one possibility is jazz vocalist/pianist Lillette Thomas, who was putting out singles on Sterling Records in the mid-1940s.
Do you like the name Lillette?
Source: “Record Possibilities.” Billboard 9 Oct. 1948: 39.