Gautier is a city along the Gulf of Mexico, west of Pascagoula, in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,681 at the 2000 census. Locally, the name is pronounced as "go-CHAY," reflecting its French origin. Descendants of the Gautier family, for whom it was named, still live in the area.