2000
#7,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Scarlett
An English occupational surname referring to someone who sold or made cloth of a scarlet color.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,288 Americans carry the last name Scarlett. That puts it at #7,023 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,817 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scarlett surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Scarlett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,817
Census rank
#7,023
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,611 bearers of the surname Scarlett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7023rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scarlett, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.2%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scarlett
The surname Scarlett is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "escarlate," meaning a rich, bright red cloth. The name initially referred to someone who dyed, sold, or wore this vibrant red fabric.
This surname first emerged in the 12th century, with early recorded instances found in various counties across England, including Yorkshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk. One of the earliest known bearers was William Scarlat, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1176.
In the 13th century, the Scarlett surname appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls, a census-like record of landowners in England. Notable entries include Adam Scarlet in Oxfordshire (1273) and John Skarlet in Cambridgeshire (1279). These early spellings highlight the name's evolution from its Old French roots.
The Scarlett name continued to spread across England in the following centuries, with various spelling variations emerging, such as Scarlet, Scarlette, and Skarlett. One notable bearer was Robert Scarlett (1519-1594), an English Roman Catholic priest and martyr during the Elizabethan period.
In the 17th century, the Scarlett surname found its way to Ireland, particularly in counties like Down and Antrim. One prominent figure was John Scarlett (1661-1714), an Irish Anglican priest and author born in County Down.
As the name spread, several notable individuals emerged, including Sir James Yorke Scarlett (1799-1871), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and the Crimean War, and Nathaniel Scarlett (1753-1834), an English lawyer and politician who served as Chief Baron of the Exchequer.
Other significant bearers of the Scarlett surname include William Scarlett (1828-1908), an English-born architect who designed several notable buildings in Canada, and John Scarlett (1976-), a British journalist and former head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).
Throughout its history, the Scarlett surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, from cloth merchants and dyers to military officers, lawyers, and civil servants. Its rich red hue and origins in the textile industry have given the name a distinctive and colorful legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scarlett
Among Census respondents with the surname Scarlett, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.2%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Scarlett bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Scarlett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.2% · 2,636
- Black or African American33.0% · 1,520
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 200
- Two or more races4.3% · 200
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scarlett
Scarlett appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#7,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,590
+474 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Up 196 places
2020
#7,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,611
+21 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Up 238 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,457 | 4,116 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,261 | 4,590 | 1.56 | +474 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 196 places |
| 2020 | #7,023 | 4,611 | 1.54 | +21 bearers (+0.5%) | Up 238 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Scarlett surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,261 | #7,023 | 3.3% |
| Count | 4,590 | 4,611 | 0.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.54 | -1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scarlett bearers went from 4,590 to 4,611 (+0.5% change). The surname moved up 238 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,261 to #7,023.
FAQ
Scarlett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scarlett?
Name Census estimates that about 5,288 living Americans carry the surname Scarlett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,817 residents.
How common is Scarlett?
Scarlett ranks #7,023 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,611 people with the surname Scarlett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,288), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Scarlett.
Has Scarlett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scarlett went from 4,590 recorded bearers to 4,611. That is an increase of 21 (+0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,261 to #7,023.
What does the Census say about the background of Scarlett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scarlett, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.2%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Hispanic (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Scarlett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.2% (2,636 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scarlett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.2%), Black (33.0%), Hispanic (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Scarlett (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Scarlett mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who sold or made cloth of a scarlet color. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Scarlett (1.54 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Scarlett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.