Scarlett began as an English surname for a dealer in scarlet cloth and simply means "scarlet" or "bright red", from the Old French escarlate. Margaret Mitchell's heroine Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind made it a first name, and actress Scarlett Johansson keeps it in the spotlight. In the United States it was a rarity at number 942 in 2000, entered the top 100 in 2011, peaked at number 14 in 2022 and ranks number 32 among girls in 2025.