Scarlett
Scarlett was the 32nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 5,644 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 14th; the most babies were born in 2017 (7,721). Over the last ten years it has moved down 10 places. More babies were named Scarlett in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning scarlet (surname for a cloth dealer) · English
Say it SKAR-lit /ˈskɑrlɪt/
- Rank in 2025
- #32 girls, down 11 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 5,644girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20177,721 babies
- Total since 1880
- 111,739babies recorded
What does the name Scarlett mean?
Scarlett began as an English surname for a dyer or seller of scarlet, a rich medieval cloth. Its modern use as a first name comes from Scarlett O'Hara, heroine of Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind and its film adaptation. Wiktionary dates general given-name use from after 1936.
scarlet (English, “a fine cloth; the bright red color”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: English names, names from occupations.
Scarlett popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 52 since 2009, 6 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #32 | 5,644 |
| 2020 | #21 | 6,521 |
| 2010 | #115 | 2,717 |
| 2000 | #942 | 227 |
| 1990 | #1,065 | 167 |
| 1980 | #1,130 | 121 |
| 1970 | #1,106 | 107 |
| 1960 | #1,347 | 68 |
| 1950 | #1,232 | 57 |
| 1940 | #943 | 59 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Scarlett, counting every spelling?
Scarlett is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #28 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #32 for Scarlett on its own. Together these spellings went to 6,522 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlett | 5,644 | #32 | 31,763 |
| Scarlet | 581 | #510 | 3,292 |
| Scarlette | 197 | #1,180 | 1,218 |
| Skarlett | 61 | #2,811 | 295 |
| Skarlet | 25 | #5,214 | 126 |
| Skarlette | 14 | #7,847 | 82 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Scarlett?
5,644 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Scarlett (1.56 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Scarlett born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 34. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Scarlett.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Scarlett?
About 110,300 people born in the US named Scarlett are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 5 and 13. That makes Scarlett a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Scarlett by state
How common Scarlett was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (3.4×), Vermont (3.0×), Alaska (2.4×), West Virginia (2.3×), Rhode Island (2.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Florida, Hawaii, District of Columbia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Scarlett: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Scarlett, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Scarlett · Sibling names for Scarlett
Questions about the name Scarlett
What does Scarlett mean?
Scarlett means “scarlet (surname for a cloth dealer)” (English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Scarlett?
Scarlett was the 32nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 5,644 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 14th; the most babies were born in 2017 (7,721). Over the last ten years it has moved down 10 places. More babies were named Scarlett in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Scarlett a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Scarlett in the US.
Where is Scarlett most popular?
In 2021–2025, Scarlett was most common in Wyoming (13.14 per 1,000 girls), followed by Vermont and Alaska.