Fun Facts About the Name Scarlett
- A newer favorite: Scarlett first entered the U.S. top 100 in 2011 and stayed there through 2025 - a run of 15 consecutive years.
- More than 111 thousand babies named Scarlett: U.S. records list 111,692 babies given the name Scarlett from 1880 through 2025. Even 52 boys received the name Scarlett - about 1 boy for every 2,147 girls.
What Does the Name Scarlett Mean?
Scarlett is an English given name derived from the surname Scarlett, which comes from the Middle English word scarlet, meaning "scarlet cloth." The word was borrowed from Old French escarlate, which in turn came from Medieval Latin scarlata, a term for a costly woolen cloth that was often dyed bright red. The surname was probably an occupational name for a maker or seller of scarlet cloth, or a nickname for someone who wore such cloth. The ultimate origin of scarlata is uncertain; it is often traced through Arabic siqillāṭ to Byzantine Greek sigillaton, but this derivation is not settled. The modern color meaning of scarlet developed from the cloth, so the color association is a later development rather than the name's original sense.
Scarlett Name History & Origins
The name Scarlett began as an English surname. Surnames in England became hereditary in the later Middle Ages, and many were taken from a person's trade or a distinguishing nickname. A person named Scarlett might have been a maker or seller of scarlet cloth or someone who regularly wore it. The surname is recorded in medieval and early modern England. The given name is a transferred use of that surname, used as a girl's name in English-speaking countries. The spelling with two t's follows the surname; the color word is usually spelled scarlet with one t.
A well-known literary use is Scarlett O'Hara, the protagonist of Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind (1936) and the 1939 film adaptation. The character is a famous use of the name; the name's etymology lies in the surname and the cloth term, not in the novel.
How Popular is the Name Scarlett?
Scarlett recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2017. Scarlett entered the top 100 U.S. girl names in 2011.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #32 | 5,644 | 0.3512% |
| 2024 | #27 | 5,894 | 0.3654% |
| 2023 | #17 | 6,311 | 0.3938% |
| 2022 | #14 | 7,256 | 0.4428% |
| 2021 | #20 | 6,627 | 0.4042% |
| 2020 | #21 | 6,518 | 0.4035% |
| 2019 | #21 | 7,084 | 0.4223% |
| 2018 | #20 | 7,223 | 0.4248% |
| 2017 | #18 | 7,719 | 0.4473% |
| 2016 | #18 | 7,716 | 0.4356% |
| 2015 | #22 | 7,143 | 0.4002% |
| 2014 | #30 | 6,010 | 0.3365% |
| 2013 | #42 | 5,053 | 0.2880% |
| 2012 | #61 | 4,045 | 0.2297% |
| 2011 | #80 | 3,564 | 0.2026% |
| 2010 | #115 | 2,717 | 0.1529% |
| 2009 | #170 | 1,922 | 0.1046% |
| 2008 | #211 | 1,621 | 0.0857% |
| 2007 | #218 | 1,583 | 0.0823% |
| 2006 | #297 | 1,116 | 0.0587% |
| 2005 | #424 | 733 | 0.0397% |
| 2004 | #528 | 538 | 0.0293% |
| 2003 | #759 | 327 | 0.0179% |
| 2002 | #806 | 290 | 0.0161% |
| 2001 | #938 | 237 | 0.0132% |
| 2000 | #942 | 227 | 0.0125% |
| 1999 | #878 | 245 | 0.0138% |
| 1998 | #839 | 254 | 0.0144% |
| 1997 | #881 | 231 | 0.0133% |
| 1996 | #819 | 248 | 0.0141% |
| 1995 | #751 | 272 | 0.0155% |
| 1994 | #850 | 235 | 0.0132% |
| 1993 | #804 | 250 | 0.0138% |
| 1992 | #948 | 204 | 0.0111% |
| 1991 | #1,158 | 152 | 0.0081% |
| 1990 | #1,065 | 167 | 0.0088% |
| 1989 | #1,186 | 138 | 0.0075% |
| 1988 | #1,162 | 132 | 0.0074% |
| 1987 | #1,022 | 152 | 0.0087% |
| 1986 | #1,091 | 137 | 0.0080% |
| 1985 | #1,231 | 112 | 0.0065% |
| 1984 | #1,117 | 124 | 0.0074% |
| 1983 | #1,328 | 91 | 0.0054% |
| 1982 | #1,413 | 87 | 0.0051% |
| 1981 | #1,178 | 113 | 0.0068% |
| 1980 | #1,121 | 122 | 0.0073% |
| 1979 | #1,208 | 108 | 0.0067% |
| 1978 | #1,364 | 87 | 0.0057% |
| 1977 | #1,013 | 133 | 0.0087% |
| 1976 | #1,189 | 96 | 0.0066% |
| 1975 | #1,772 | 53 | 0.0036% |
| 1974 | #1,276 | 85 | 0.0058% |
| 1973 | #1,359 | 74 | 0.0051% |
| 1972 | #1,224 | 87 | 0.0057% |
| 1971 | #1,227 | 92 | 0.0055% |
| 1970 | #1,106 | 107 | 0.0061% |
| 1969 | #1,188 | 89 | 0.0053% |
| 1968 | #1,040 | 101 | 0.0062% |
| 1967 | #1,208 | 78 | 0.0047% |
| 1966 | #1,239 | 76 | 0.0045% |
| 1965 | #1,031 | 103 | 0.0058% |
| 1964 | #1,014 | 113 | 0.0060% |
| 1963 | #996 | 115 | 0.0060% |
| 1962 | #930 | 131 | 0.0067% |
| 1961 | #1,021 | 114 | 0.0056% |
| 1960 | #1,347 | 68 | 0.0034% |
| 1959 | #1,566 | 49 | 0.0024% |
| 1958 | #1,392 | 59 | 0.0029% |
| 1957 | #1,285 | 68 | 0.0033% |
| 1956 | #1,209 | 75 | 0.0037% |
| 1955 | #1,030 | 96 | 0.0049% |
| 1954 | #1,498 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 1953 | #1,640 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 1952 | #1,705 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1951 | #1,522 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 1950 | #1,232 | 57 | 0.0033% |
| 1949 | #1,259 | 53 | 0.0031% |
| 1948 | #1,110 | 65 | 0.0038% |
| 1947 | #1,435 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 1946 | #1,287 | 46 | 0.0029% |
| 1945 | #1,396 | 34 | 0.0026% |
| 1944 | #1,186 | 45 | 0.0034% |
| 1943 | #964 | 68 | 0.0049% |
| 1942 | #901 | 76 | 0.0056% |
| 1941 | #829 | 77 | 0.0064% |
| 1940 | #943 | 59 | 0.0052% |
| 1939 | #3,729 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1938 | #4,273 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1937 | #3,743 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #11,768 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #12,074 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #12,003 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #13,703 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #13,794 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #11,893 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #13,855 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #12,024 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #10,778 | 7 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore Name Lists Featuring Scarlett
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How the Name Scarlett Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Scarlett's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Scarlett's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.