Scarlett
Meaning
"scarlet," an occupational surname for dealers in the rich red cloth; Gone with the Wind's headstrong heroine turned it into a first name, and the 2000s turned it into a hit. Vivid color, vintage glamour
The story
Scarlett was a surname first, worn in the Middle Ages by dealers in scarlet, the costly rich red cloth of the era. It might have stayed one had Margaret Mitchell not chosen it for the headstrong heroine of Gone with the Wind; for decades afterward Scarlett O'Hara essentially owned the name, admired by American parents but rarely borrowed. The distance closed in the 2000s. As Scarlett Johansson rose from indie films to global stardom, the name climbed alongside her, decade over decade, to a 2020s peak, and though nobody can say for certain which pulled which, the two arcs rhyme almost perfectly. The result is unusual: a color, a texture, and a temperament folded into one name, vivid and a little defiant, with decades of cinematic glamour already sewn into the lining.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Scarlett peaked in the 2020s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
935 people · the #8,679 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 200,000 · median age 22
Among people named Scarlett living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 213 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Scarlett
Most people given the name Scarlett in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Scarlett deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Scarlett truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Scarlett fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Names like Scarlett · Middle names for Scarlett · Iconic movie character names
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