Scarlett
When Margaret Mitchell started writing her bestselling novel, Gone with the Wind, she named her hero Pansy. However, the book publishers suggested she use a more dramatic name. Thus, Mitchell changed her character's name to Scarlett; where did she come from?
According to Nancy's Baby Names, Mitchell often came across the name Katie Scarlett in Irish Literature (Scarlett O'Hara's first name was Katie). Scarlett got her middle name, by which she was called, from her grandmother's maiden name. Mitchell explained it in her novel, but it's easy to miss in the movie, confusing parents into thinking Scarlett was a common Victorian name.
As hinted above, Scarlett began as a surname for the cloth makers. However, she doesn't sound like one because it's merely a respelling of the color. Scarlet cloth wasn't always red, either; the connection dates from the late Middle Ages.
Despite Scarlett's origin as a surname, she wasn't completely new at the time of Gone with the Wind's publication. According to Elea on British Baby Names, Scarlet(t) entered sparing use as a unisex, though mostly masculine, name in the seventeenth century.
Scarlett's usage shifted from masculine-skewing unisex to completely feminine when Margaret Mitchell's novel came out. She debuted in American naming data the next year in 1937. Three years later, after the movie adaptation starring Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara premiered, Scarlett entered the top 1000. She only ranked for four years, though.
Since scarlet was historically a symbolic color for sin, as in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, mid-century parents weren't fully ready for the name. Pop culture didn't affect names as much back then as it does today, either.
Despite this, Scarlett has never dropped out of use since its 1937 debut; perhaps she re-entered the top 1000 in the early 1960s. It could have to do with the 25th anniversary of the book's publication. Or else, there was the 1961 political comedy One, Two, Three, which featured a character named Scarlett Hazeltine. She left the top 1000 again in 1964, signaling parents were still not quite ready for the name.
Twenty-eight years later, Scarlett returned to the top 1000 to stay. The year before her resurgence, Alexandra Ripley wrote Scarlett, a sequel to Gone with the Wind. Because Scarlett never left the top 1000 again, it was clear parents were finally ready to keep using the "dangerous" name. Yet, Scarlett still clung to the fringes of the charts.
The dawn of the twenty-first century marked a significant change for Scarlett. Scarlett Johansson had a breakout year in 2003, when she starred in the famous films Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Earring. The next year, Scarlett, which was already rising elsewhere in the English-speaking world, entered the Australian and British top 100.
Scarlett subsequently began its quick rise in the United States. By the time she entered the top 100 in 2011, Scarlett was officially popular throughout the English-speaking world. She has been a top 25 hit since 2015, recently peaking at #14 in 2022.
Scarlett still has some issues, regardless of its success. First, because she rose so dramatically in use, Scarlett feels slightly trendy. In addition, her 1940 top 1000 debut, combined with her 2011 top 100 entry, make it unclear whether Scarlett counts as traditional or contemporary. Those who consider a traditional name to be a century old might call her a trendy surname. However, traditionalists who appreciate any name that reminds them of the past would still accept Scarlett, even if it wasn't O'Hara's first name.
Literature has served as a traditional naming source, so I think Scarlett can lean traditional. Even if she's not, many agree on the name being bold, exotic, literary, southern, and strong.
POPULARITY LEVEL: Popular (top 100)
FAMOUS REAL-LIFE NAMESAKES:
- English author Scarlett Thomas (1972-)
- American actor Scarlett Johansson (1984-)
FAMOUS FICTIONAL NAMESAKES:
- Protagonist (Katie) Scarlett O'Hara in book and film Gone with the Wind
- Rebellious teenage daughter Scarlett Hazeltine in 1961 comedy film One, Two, Three
VARIANTS: Scarlet, Scarlette
NICKNAMES: Lettie, Scottie
Click here for more sibling names for Scarlett
ALTERNATIVES: Cosette, Darcy, Garnet, Harlow, Marnie, Saffron, Scout, Sonnet, Tempest, Velvet
Click here for more names inspired by Scarlett
FURTHER RESOURCES:
Nickerson, Eleanor. "Scarlett." Names of the Week, British Baby Names, 25 Mar. 2017, https://www.britishbabynames.com/blog/2017/03/scarlett.html.
Sandel, Abby. "Scarlett: Baby Name of the Day." Appellation Mountain, 10 Apr. 2019, https://appellationmountain.net/baby-name-of-the-day-scarlett/.
"Scarlett." Names, Behind the Name, 9 Jun. 2023, https://www.behindthename.com/name/scarlett.
"What popularized the baby name Scarlett?" Name Blog, Nancy's Baby Names, 29 Feb. 2012, https://www.nancy.cc/2012/02/29/baby-name-scarlett/.
What do you think about Scarlett? Do you consider it traditional or contemporary?
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