Rita
Girl · REE-ta · Greek
Rita is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “pearl”. In 2025 it ranked 732nd for girls in the UK (55 babies) and 1,285th for girls in the US (174 babies).
What does Rita mean?
Greek: short form of Margarita
“pearl”
Originally a short form of Margarita; St Rita of Cascia, a 15th-century Italian nun, is a patron saint of impossible causes.
- Say it
- REE-ta
More on Wiktionary.
Is Rita a girl's or a boy's name?
Rita is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 55 girls in the UK and 174 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Rita in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #732among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 55about 1 in 5,100 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 10% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 55 girls in the UK were named Rita, making it the 732nd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 691st. Its busiest year was 2016, with 80 girls.
Half of all the girls named Rita in the UK since 1996 were born between 2011 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among girls in 2025, it was 719th in England and Wales and 632nd in Scotland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1924 (#79), 1934 (#27), 1944 (#41) and 1954 (#77).
Rita in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 55 | #732 |
| 2024 | 69 | #612 |
| 2023 | 49 | #788 |
| 2022 | 55 | #728 |
| 2021 | 64 | #658 |
| 2020 | 58 | #691 |
| 2019 | 74 | #597 |
| 2018 | 60 | #724 |
| 2017 | 56 | #777 |
| 2016 | 80 | #579 |
| 2015 | 55 | #771 |
| 2014 | 66 | #665 |
| 2013 | 60 | #729 |
| 2012 | 41 | #959 |
| 2011 | 33 | #1,117 |
| 2010 | 21 | #1,527 |
| 2009 | 23 | #1,360 |
| 2008 | 30 | #1,090 |
| 2007 | 22 | #1,327 |
| 2006 | 20 | #1,364 |
| 2005 | 16 | #1,521 |
| 2004 | 21 | #1,194 |
| 2003 | 20 | #1,216 |
| 2002 | 17 | #1,280 |
| 2001 | 16 | #1,325 |
| 2000 | 13 | #1,502 |
| 1999 | 19 | #1,149 |
| 1998 | 11 | #1,694 |
| 1997 | 14 | #1,387 |
| 1996 | 9 | #1,862 |
How popular is Rita in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,285among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 174about 1 in 9,200 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 7% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 174 girls in the US were named Rita, making it the 1,285th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,231st. Its busiest year was 1949, with 6,653 girls.
Half of all the girls named Rita in the US since 1880 were born between 1928 and 1957, the years shaded on the chart below.
Rita in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 174 | #1,285 |
| 2024 | 161 | #1,395 |
| 2023 | 164 | #1,373 |
| 2022 | 178 | #1,322 |
| 2021 | 150 | #1,432 |
| 2020 | 185 | #1,231 |
| 2019 | 169 | #1,345 |
| 2018 | 185 | #1,250 |
| 2017 | 207 | #1,182 |
| 2016 | 210 | #1,188 |
| 2015 | 190 | #1,280 |
| 2014 | 171 | #1,362 |
| 2013 | 182 | #1,289 |
| 2012 | 169 | #1,379 |
| 2011 | 169 | #1,363 |
| 2010 | 176 | #1,336 |
| 2009 | 166 | #1,414 |
| 2008 | 186 | #1,325 |
| 2007 | 210 | #1,199 |
| 2006 | 207 | #1,173 |
| 2005 | 220 | #1,078 |
| 2004 | 216 | #1,067 |
| 2003 | 199 | #1,104 |
| 2002 | 244 | #916 |
| 2001 | 270 | #846 |
| 2000 | 251 | #879 |
| 1999 | 229 | #919 |
| 1998 | 246 | #862 |
| 1997 | 240 | #850 |
| 1996 | 303 | #703 |
| 1995 | 296 | #706 |
| 1994 | 318 | #669 |
| 1993 | 342 | #652 |
| 1992 | 390 | #588 |
| 1991 | 423 | #553 |
| 1990 | 434 | #544 |
| 1989 | 412 | #549 |
| 1988 | 485 | #466 |
| 1987 | 518 | #432 |
| 1986 | 544 | #408 |
| 1985 | 588 | #386 |
| 1984 | 607 | #375 |
| 1983 | 592 | #376 |
| 1982 | 709 | #338 |
| 1981 | 855 | #284 |
| 1980 | 840 | #296 |
| 1979 | 881 | #277 |
| 1978 | 892 | #262 |
| 1977 | 802 | #295 |
| 1976 | 859 | #271 |
| 1975 | 883 | #272 |
| 1974 | 992 | #256 |
| 1973 | 1,031 | #248 |
| 1972 | 1,199 | #230 |
| 1971 | 1,418 | #215 |
| 1970 | 1,590 | #203 |
| 1969 | 1,736 | #184 |
| 1968 | 2,073 | #159 |
| 1967 | 2,380 | #146 |
| 1966 | 2,688 | #135 |
| 1965 | 3,067 | #126 |
| 1964 | 3,470 | #122 |
| 1963 | 3,808 | #115 |
| 1962 | 4,102 | #110 |
| 1961 | 4,532 | #105 |
| 1960 | 5,027 | #96 |
| 1959 | 4,952 | #98 |
| 1958 | 5,340 | #88 |
| 1957 | 6,018 | #78 |
| 1956 | 6,054 | #79 |
| 1955 | 6,094 | #72 |
| 1954 | 6,536 | #67 |
| 1953 | 6,284 | #64 |
| 1952 | 6,148 | #66 |
| 1951 | 6,415 | #61 |
| 1950 | 6,424 | #56 |
| 1949 | 6,653 | #54 |
| 1948 | 5,835 | #59 |
| 1947 | 5,982 | #60 |
| 1946 | 5,533 | #56 |
| 1945 | 4,282 | #59 |
| 1944 | 4,530 | #54 |
| 1943 | 5,011 | #52 |
| 1942 | 4,706 | #55 |
| 1941 | 3,879 | #63 |
| 1940 | 3,442 | #70 |
| 1939 | 3,188 | #78 |
| 1938 | 3,357 | #74 |
| 1937 | 3,421 | #69 |
| 1936 | 3,334 | #69 |
| 1935 | 3,579 | #63 |
| 1934 | 3,683 | #63 |
| 1933 | 3,840 | #53 |
| 1932 | 4,256 | #53 |
| 1931 | 4,613 | #48 |
| 1930 | 5,470 | #42 |
| 1929 | 4,767 | #52 |
| 1928 | 4,810 | #57 |
| 1927 | 5,084 | #54 |
| 1926 | 5,015 | #50 |
| 1925 | 5,323 | #48 |
| 1924 | 5,381 | #49 |
| 1923 | 5,095 | #50 |
| 1922 | 4,976 | #52 |
| 1921 | 5,157 | #48 |
| 1920 | 4,979 | #52 |
| 1919 | 4,515 | #54 |
| 1918 | 4,447 | #58 |
| 1917 | 3,870 | #63 |
| 1916 | 3,477 | #67 |
| 1915 | 3,063 | #71 |
| 1914 | 2,010 | #87 |
| 1913 | 1,096 | #116 |
| 1912 | 636 | #165 |
| 1911 | 403 | #179 |
| 1910 | 333 | #198 |
| 1909 | 295 | #197 |
| 1908 | 255 | #212 |
| 1907 | 266 | #196 |
| 1906 | 203 | #219 |
| 1905 | 188 | #229 |
| 1904 | 166 | #241 |
| 1903 | 174 | #228 |
| 1902 | 148 | #257 |
| 1901 | 135 | #247 |
| 1900 | 162 | #255 |
| 1899 | 147 | #227 |
| 1898 | 146 | #244 |
| 1897 | 117 | #263 |
| 1896 | 109 | #273 |
| 1895 | 105 | #275 |
| 1894 | 104 | #271 |
| 1893 | 95 | #275 |
| 1892 | 87 | #288 |
| 1891 | 65 | #313 |
| 1890 | 54 | #348 |
| 1889 | 75 | #275 |
| 1888 | 52 | #333 |
| 1887 | 40 | #337 |
| 1886 | 28 | #406 |
| 1885 | 31 | #365 |
| 1884 | 24 | #409 |
| 1883 | 15 | #499 |
| 1882 | 21 | #389 |
| 1881 | 20 | #374 |
| 1880 | 19 | #375 |
Names like Rita
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
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Names related to Rita
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