Rita

#1,285 for girls in 2025, 174 births · Last seen for boys in 1984 at #4,973
Given to girls 99.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1930 · 5,470 births
Debut · girls
19 births
In top 100 · girls
47 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
284,452
since 1880

Rita over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201971peak #42, 1930girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#1,285174
2024#1,395161
2023#1,373164
2022#1,322178
2021#1,432150
2020#1,231185
2019#1,345169
2018#1,250185
2017#1,182207
2016#1,188210
2015#1,280190
2014#1,362171
2013#1,289182
2012#1,379169
2011#1,363169
2010#1,336176
2009#1,414166
2008#1,325186
2007#1,199210
2006#1,173207
2005#1,078220
2004#1,067216
2003#1,105199
2002#916244
2001#846270
2000#880251
1999#921229
1998#862246
1997#850240
1996#703303
1995#707296
1994#669318
1993#652342
1992#588390
1991#553423
1990#545434
1989#549412
1988#466485
1987#432518
1986#408544
1985#386588
1984#375607#4,9737
1983#376592
1982#338709
1981#284855
1980#296840#4,1349
1979#277881#6,0565
1978#262892#3,8579
1977#295802
1976#271859
1975#272883
1974#256992
1973#2481,031
1972#2301,199#3,9637
1971#2151,418#2,97311
1970#2031,590#2,89111
1969#1841,736
1968#1592,073#2,57611
1967#1462,380#2,7609
1966#1352,688#2,21613
1965#1263,067#3,2447
1964#1223,470#2,54611
1963#1153,808#2,30013
1962#1104,102#1,96217
1961#1054,532#2,70610
1960#965,027#2,12115
1959#984,952#3,2907
1958#885,340#1,83819
1957#786,018#2,01916
1956#796,054#2,9698
1955#726,094#1,90217
1954#676,536#2,04415
1953#646,284#3,4256
1952#666,148#2,25112
1951#616,415#2,36711
1950#566,424#2,01914
1949#546,653#1,87216
1948#595,835#2,44310
1947#605,982#1,85017
1946#565,533#2,03013
1945#594,282#2,3939
1944#544,530#2,30910
1943#525,011#1,91015
1942#554,706#1,86715
1941#633,879#1,53220
1940#703,442#1,89414
1939#783,188#1,71216
1938#743,357#2,6468
1937#693,421#2,08812
1936#693,334#1,46321
1935#633,579#2,12712
1934#633,683#1,86015
1933#533,840#1,64418
1932#534,256#1,28628
1931#484,613#1,25330
1930#425,470#1,60221
1929#524,767#1,84817
1928#574,810#1,61122
1927#545,084#1,79619
1926#505,015#2,30213
1925#485,323#2,01216
1924#495,381#2,47312
1923#505,095#3,8226
1922#524,976#3,2528
1921#485,157#2,63211
1920#524,979#2,33613
1919#544,515
1918#584,447#2,54311
1917#633,870
1916#673,477#3,1777
1915#713,063#2,8298
1914#872,010
1913#1161,096#2,8215
1912#165636
1911#179403
1910#198333
1909#197295
1908#212255
1907#196266
1906#219203
1905#229188
1904#241166
1903#228174
1902#257148
1901#247135
1900#255162
1899#227147
1898#244146
1897#263117
1896#273109
1895#275105
1894#271104
1893#27595
1892#28887
1891#31365
1890#34854
1889#27575
1888#33352
1887#33740
1886#40628
1885#36531
1884#40924
1883#49915
1882#38921
1881#37420
1880#37519
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Rita was already there! It came in at #375, and was given to 19 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1883, when fewer than 22 girls a year got the name.

See more about Rita
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 110 spots since 2024 (#1,395#1,285)
  • 54 spots since 2020 (#1,231#1,285)
  • 5 spots since 2015 (#1,280#1,285)
  • Biggest jump: 90 spots in 1884 (#499#409)
  • Biggest drop: 189 spots in 2003 (#916#1,105)
Rise & fade · girls
50 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1930 at #42 (5,470 births)
  • Births halved by 1966, 36 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 47 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 47 yrs · run 1914–1960
  • Top 1,000: 123 yrs · run 1880–2002
Share of babies · girls
1 in 206
  • Highest: 1 in 206 girls born in 1930 were named Rita (0.49%)
  • Latest: 1 in 9,237 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · girls
The 1950s
  • 21.2% of all girls named Rita (60,265) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s325#275 (1889)#376
1890s1,029#227 (1899)#278
1900s1,992#196 (1907)#228
1910s23,850#54 (1919)#106
1920s50,587#48 (1925)#51
1930s38,741#42 (1930)#61
1940s49,853#52 (1943)#58
1950s60,265#56 (1950)#73
1960s32,883#96 (1960)#130
1970s10,547#203 (1970)#253
1980s6,150#284 (1981)#391
1990s3,221#545 (1990)#705
2000s2,169#846 (2001)#1,100
2010s1,828#1,182 (2017)#1,297
2020s1,012#1,231 (2020)#1,340

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Rita in 1971

girls
#215
1,418 births · 1 in 1,173 girls
boys
#2,973
11 births · 1 in 160,768 boys

Top girls' names in 1971

  1. #1Jennifer56,771
  2. #2Michelle33,160
  3. #3Lisa32,907
  4. #4Kimberly30,708
  5. #5Amy26,237
  6. #6Angela25,901
  7. #7Melissa23,875
  8. #8Tammy17,656
  9. #9Mary16,703
  10. #10Julie15,322
  11. #215Rita1,418

Top boys' names in 1971

  1. #1Michael77,577
  2. #2James54,597
  3. #3David53,113
  4. #4John51,512
  5. #5Robert50,634
  6. #6Christopher48,225
  7. #7William35,413
  8. #8Jason34,173
  9. #9Brian32,624
  10. #10Scott30,901
  11. #2,973Rita11
More about 1971

girls

1,663,823 girls got a published name in 1971; 1 in 1,173 of them was named Rita, which outranked 97.8% of the 9,645 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.8% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rita
  1. #211Tonia1,425
  2. #213Leigh1,424
  3. #214Shawna1,420
  4. #215Rita1,418
  5. #216Karla1,417
  6. #216Robyn1,417
  7. #218Ellen1,392
Biggest movers since 1970
Risers
  1. 2,115Yesenia#2,522#407
  2. 1,431Shayla#2,267#836
  3. 853Ebony#1,681#828
  4. 749Consuela#1,706#957
  5. 510Candida#1,196#686
Fallers
  1. 572Sebrina#916#1,488
  2. 382Janene#684#1,066
  3. 375Treena#989#1,364
  4. 356Tisa#910#1,266
  5. 351Shaun#929#1,280

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,768,447 boys got a published name in 1971; 1 in 160,768 of them was named Rita, which outranked 47.4% of the 5,655 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 26.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rita
  1. #2,813Wellington12
  2. #2,813Yale12
  3. #2,813Yvonne12
  4. #2,973Rita11
  5. #2,973Algie11
  6. #2,973Amanda11
  7. #2,973Ames11
  8. #3,146Addam10
  9. #3,146Adriel10
  10. #3,146Akil10

Tied with 172 names at #2,973; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1970
Risers
  1. 754Germaine#1,582#828
  2. 626Jeramie#1,546#920
  3. 512Jeremey#1,396#884
  4. 473Jarod#1,337#864
  5. 454Jamel#1,374#920
Fallers
  1. 328Adolph#926#1,254
  2. 272Dwane#1,000#1,272
  3. 266Bronson#861#1,127
  4. 244Mitch#921#1,165
  5. 242Enrico#839#1,081

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1971