Anita
Anita is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are now common worldwide, especially in regions where Indo-European languages are spoken, namely Europe, Iran, South Asia, and North America. Anita is a short form of the ancient Persian name Anahita. It is also a Spanish form of the name Anna.
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- Croatian
- Slovene
Meaning & Origin of Anita
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Anita is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are now common worldwide, especially in regions where Indo-European languages are spoken, namely Europe, Iran, South Asia, and North America. Anita is a short form of the ancient Persian name Anahita. It is also a Spanish form of the name Anna.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- Croatian
- Slovene
- English
- Dutch
- German
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
- Finnish
- Polish
- Latvian
- Hungarian
- Hindi
- Marathi
- Nepali
- Tamil
The Story of Anita
The earliest SSA record of Anita as a baby girl name dates back to 1880, when 16 babies received it. 1957 was its biggest year on record, with 5,811 newborns named Anita — #81 in the national rankings. About 22% of every Anita on record arrived during the 1950s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Anita ranks #1,407 for baby girls with 157 births, gradually falling (-7%). All told, over 215K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Anita
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Anita. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Anita
Phonetically similar names — useful when Anita is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Anita
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How popular is Anita in 2026?
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About the name Anita
Anita is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 215K births in the dataset. Anita's peak popularity came in 1957 when it ranked #77. Use the chart and map above to compare Anita's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1957 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "A" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.