Scarlett (given name)

Last updated
Scarlett
Vivien Leigh Gone Wind Restored.jpg
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/name English
MeaningRed
Other names
Nickname(s)Letty, Scar
Related namesScarlet, Scarlette

Scarlett is a feminine given name. The color scarlet symbolizes courage, passion, force, joy and heat. The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church wear scarlet as a color of the blood of Christ and the Christian martyrs. It gained popularity due to the character Scarlett O'Hara in Margaret Mitchell's best-selling novel Gone with the Wind and the film adaptation. The name has been well used in recent years for girls in the United Kingdom and in the United States. [1]

Contents

The name also has associations with the bright red color scarlet. Scarlett originated as an occupation surname, designating a person who sold scarlet, a luxury wool cloth produced in Medieval Europe. [2] The word is thought to derive from the Arabic siklāt, referring to silks dyed with kermes.

Usage

Usage of the name has increased in the Anglosphere in recent years. It has ranked among the top 20 names given to newborn American girls since 2021 and was the 14th most popular name for girls in that country in 2022. [3] It has also ranked among the top 100 names for newborn girls in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom in recent years. [4] In 2022, it was the 36th most popular name given to girls in Canada. [5]

People named Scarlett

Fictional characters

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloe</span> Name list

Chloe, also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰelh₃-, which relates to the colors yellow and green. The common scientific prefix chloro- derives from the same Greek root. In Greek the word refers to the young, green foliage or shoots of plants in spring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarlett O'Hara</span> Fictional character in Gone with the Wind

Katie Scarlett O'Hara is a fictional character and the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and in the 1939 film of the same name, where she is portrayed by Vivien Leigh. She also is the main character in the 1970 musical Scarlett and the 1991 book Scarlett, a sequel to Gone with the Wind that was written by Alexandra Ripley and adapted for a television mini-series in 1994. During early drafts of the original novel, Mitchell referred to her heroine as "Pansy", and did not decide on the name "Scarlett" until just before the novel went to print. PBS has called O'Hara "quite possibly the most famous female character in American history..."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanie</span> Name list

Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark". Borne in its Latin form by two saints, Melania the Elder and her granddaughter Melania the Younger, the name was introduced to England by the Normans in its French form Melanie. However, the name only became common in English usage in the 1930s because of the popularity of Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and its 1939 film adaptation, as one of the novel's main characters was named Melanie Hamilton. The name's popularity increased until the 1970s, since remaining constant. Melanie was the 80th most popular name for girls born in the United States in 1957 and, as Mélanie, it was the 86th most popular name for girls born in France in 2004.

Vanessa is a feminine given name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonnie</span> Name list

Bonnie is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean or Bonnie Dundee about John Graham, 7th Laird of Claverhouse. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie", or the French bonne (good). That is in turn derived from the Latin word "bonus" (good). The name can also be used as a pet form of Bonita.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha</span> Name list

Samantha is a feminine given name.

Tara is a given name with multiple meanings in different cultures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violet (given name)</span> Name list

Violet is a female given name which comes from the eponymous flower. As with other such names, its popularity has varied dramatically over time. Flower names were commonly used from about 1880 through about 1910 in the United States, with usage dropping throughout the next 80 years or so; Violet was the 88th most frequent girls' given name in 1900, dropping below position 1000 by 1960. In 1990, the name appeared again in the top 1000 at position 289 and subsequently increased in popularity. It was the 20th most used name for newborn American girls in 2022. It rose rapidly in popularity for American girls born that year, one of several fashionable names that contain a letter v. In 2022, it was the 27th most popular name given to girls in Canada.

Ashley is a given name which was originally an Old English surname. It is derived from the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) words æsċ (ash) and lēah and translates to "Dweller near the ash tree meadow".

Darlene, also spelled Darleen or Darline, is an English feminine given name coined in the late 19th century. It is based on the term of endearment darling in combination with the diminutive suffix -een, -ene, or -ine in use in other names popular during that period such as Arleen, Charlene, Claudine, Irene, Jolene, Josephine, Marlene, Maxine, and Pauline. The greatest use of the name has been in North America. Darla is a variant.

Rosie is a feminine given name of English origin. It is a diminutive form of the English language given name Rose, which is of Latin origin. Similar diminutives in other languages include: Rosa becoming Rosita in Spanish, and Ruža becoming Ružica in Slavic languages. Rosie is a nickname for names such as Rosalie, Rosemary, Roseanne, Rosalyn, Rosanna, and more. It is occasionally a male nickname, primarily a short form of Roosevelt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lily (name)</span> Name list

Lily is a feminine given name usually derived from lily, the flower. The name became particularly popular along with other flower names for girls during the 1800s and early 1900s. The lily also has associations with and has been symbolic of innocence and purity in Christian art. Names beginning with or containing the letter L have also been particularly fashionable for girls. It is also occasionally used as a diminutive for other names such as Elizabeth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazel (given name)</span> Female given name

Hazel is a primarily female given name meaning "hazel", from the name of the tree or the color. It is derived from the Old English hæsel. It became a popular name in English-speaking countries during the 19th century, along with other names of plants or trees used for girls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amber (given name)</span> Name list

Amber is a feminine given name taken from amber, the fossilized tree resin that is often used in the making of jewelry. The word can also refer to a yellowish-orange color.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth (given name)</span> Name list

Ruth is a common female given name, noted from Ruth, the eponymous heroine of the eighth book of the Old Testament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jade (given name)</span> Name list

Jade is a given name derived from the ornamental stone jade, which is used in artwork and in jewellery-making. The name is derived from the Spanish piedra de la ijada, which means "stone of the bowels". There was a belief that when jade was placed on the stomach, it could cure colic in babies. The stone is greatly valued in Asian countries. Confucius believed it had properties encouraging purity, bravery, and honesty. Chinese emperors were buried in suits made of the stone because they believed it would make them live on forever.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heather (given name)</span> Name list

Heather is a common English feminine given name.

O'Hara is a surname. The death of the eponym – Eaghra Poprigh mac Saorghus, lord of Luighne, in Connaught – is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters in 926. According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Haras were one of the chiefly families of the "race of Luighne" or "Lugh" who came from the tribe of Cianacht who in turn were from the Dumnonii or Laigin who were the third wave of Celts to settle in Ireland during the first century BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassandra (name)</span> Name list

Cassandra, also spelled Kassandra, is a feminine given name of Greek origin. Cassander is the masculine form of Cassandra. In Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. She had the gift of prophecy, but was cursed so that none would believe her prophecies. The name has been in occasional use since the Middle Ages. The usual English nickname is Cassie. Cassandre is the French version of the name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxine (given name)</span> Name list

Maxine is an English feminine given name created as a feminine version of the name Max.

References

  1. Behind the Name
  2. Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 242. ISBN   0-19-861060-2.
  3. "Names that increased in popularity from 2021 to 2022". ssa.gov. United States Social Security Administration. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  4. "Popularity for the name Scarlett - Behind the Name".
  5. "Table 17-10-0147-01 First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators (Number)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-08-25.