Scarlett

“Scarlett is an English feminine name meaning “red” and linked to scarlet, a vivid red color. It began as an English surname for someone who sold or made clothing from scarlet cloth.”

Scarlett is a bright, stylish English girl’s name with a meaning that is both colorful and historical. At its simplest, Scarlett connects to scarlet, the brilliant red shade. That color association gives the name a feeling of warmth, confidence, romance, and presence: a name that seems to arrive with its own glow. Behind the color, though, is a practical medieval origin. Scarlett developed from an English surname that referred to a person who sold or made clothing from scarlet, a fine luxury wool cloth used in medieval Europe. Behind the Name notes that the word may ultimately be connected to Persian “saqrelāṭ,” referring to a kind of cloth, though the name’s established usage is English. As a first name, Scarlett became widely recognized through literature. Margaret Mitchell chose Scarlett O’Hara for the main character of her 1936 novel “Gone with the Wind,” and the later 1939 film adaptation made the name even more familiar. The character’s name helped give Scarlett a dramatic, memorable literary image, although sources note that the baby name itself did not become especially common until much later. In the 21st century, Scarlett rose strongly in English-speaking countries, helped in part by the visibility of actress Scarlett Johansson. Scarlett is closely related to the spelling Scarlet, which looks even more directly like the color word, and Scarlette, a more ornate variant. Its sound is crisp and polished: two syllables, a strong opening, and a soft ending. For families, Scarlett can feel both vintage and modern, literary and fashionable, bold but still feminine. It works well with playful nicknames such as Letty, Lettie, Scar, or Scout-like modern pet forms, while the full name remains elegant enough for adulthood.