From Old French escarlate, an occupational surname for a seller of scarlet cloth; literary via 'Gone with the Wind.'
Scarlett began not as a personal name but as a color word and surname. The term ultimately comes through Old French and medieval European trade language referring to a rich, bright cloth, later closely associated with the color scarlet. As a surname it may have denoted someone who sold or wore such fabric.
When it became a first name, it brought with it all the visual power of the color itself: luxury, boldness, sensuality, and spectacle. Its modern identity is inseparable from literature. Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind gave the world Scarlett O'Hara, one of the most memorable heroines in American fiction: proud, willful, magnetic, and difficult to forget.
That single character did enormous work in transforming Scarlett from a surname-like rarity into a vivid feminine given name. More recently, public figures such as Scarlett Johansson have reinforced the name's glamorous, self-possessed image. Even people who have never read the novel often inherit an impression of the name as cinematic and striking.
Scarlett's rise in recent decades reflects a larger shift toward names with color, texture, and dramatic flair. Unlike older virtue names or floral names, it projects heat rather than softness. Yet it is not merely fashionable; it carries medieval linguistic history, literary force, and visual symbolism all at once.
Over time, perception has moved from daring and slightly unconventional to widely admired and stylish. Scarlett now feels established, but it still keeps some of its theatrical edge.