Yvette originates in Germanic languages and means "of the yew tree". It is a feminine form of Yves, a popular French masculine name, the famous bearer being the French fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent. Yvette is the name of a river in northern France and also the name of Guy de Maupassant's 1884 short story. As a feminine given name it is not as popular in the United States as in other, mostly European countries.