Girl · #1,407 in 2026

Anita

Name: Popularity of the name Anita in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Anita, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

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.

Current Rank

#1,407

Peak Rank

#77 (1957)

Total Babies

215K

5-Yr Trend

-7%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

1957

Peak Year

#77

Peak Rank

215K

Total Count

147

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Anita

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Anita

Anita first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 16 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1957, when 5,811 Anitas were born — ranking #81 that year. As of 2026, Anita ranks #1,407 for baby girls with 157 births, gradually falling (-7%). In total, more than 215K Anitas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

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.

Aneta
Annetta
Benita
Uneaten
Janita
Anea
Aneto
Amita
Anata
Anatta
Anida
Onida

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Anita

What does the name Anita mean?

How popular is Anita in 2026?

In 2026, Anita ranks #1,407 among girls' names in the U.S., with 157 babies given the name that year.

When was Anita most popular?

Anita reached its peak popularity in 1957, ranking #77 that year with 5,811 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Anita most popular?

Anita has historically been most popular in Rhode Island, Vermont, Texas. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Anita.

Is Anita a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Anita is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Anita?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Anita include Lynda, Yvonne, Kendra. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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

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.