Rita
Rita is a female name, often a name in its own right, but mostly a shortened version of Margarita. The feast day of Rita is generally celebrated on May 22 in honor of Saint Rita of Cascia.
Meaning & Origin of Rita
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Rita is a female name, often a name in its own right, but mostly a shortened version of Margarita. The feast day of Rita is generally celebrated on May 22 in honor of Saint Rita of Cascia.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Rita
Rita first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 19 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1949, when 6,654 Ritas were born — ranking #54 that year. As of 2026, Rita ranks #1,416 for baby girls with 157 births, gradually falling (-9%). In total, more than 285K Ritas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Rita
Phonetically similar names — useful when Rita 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 Rita
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About the name Rita
Rita is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 285K births in the dataset. Rita's peak popularity came in 1949 when it ranked #42. Use the chart and map above to compare Rita's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1949 →
- Names of the 1940s →
- Names starting with "R" →
- 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.