Rita
Girl name · #1285 in 2025 · Rare
Rita is currently the #1285 girl name in the United States — 174 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #1280, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 10,345 girls born in 2025 was named Rita.
The 145-year story
Rita first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 19 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1949, when 6,653 girls were named Rita — good for #54 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Rita per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Rita against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Rita in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Rita is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Rita will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Rita is most common
Geography matters for names, and Rita is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Rita is most common in VA (0.3 per 1,000), NY (0.2 per 1,000), CA (0.1 per 1,000), TX (0.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.1 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Rita is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Rita
Statistically, parents drawn to Rita tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Anita, Rosita, Roberta, Sandra, and Rosetta.
AnitaRositaRobertaSandraRosettaLindaMartaPatricia
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Rita | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 174 | #1285 |
| 2024 | 161 | #1395 |
| 2023 | 164 | #1373 |
| 2022 | 178 | #1322 |
| 2021 | 150 | #1432 |
| 2020 | 185 | #1231 |
| 2019 | 169 | #1345 |
| 2018 | 185 | #1250 |
| 2017 | 207 | #1182 |
| 2016 | 210 | #1188 |
| 2015 | 190 | #1280 |
| 2014 | 171 | #1362 |
| 2013 | 182 | #1289 |
| 2012 | 169 | #1379 |
| 2011 | 169 | #1363 |
| 2010 | 176 | #1336 |
| 2009 | 166 | #1414 |
| 2008 | 186 | #1325 |
| 2007 | 210 | #1199 |
| 2006 | 207 | #1173 |
| 2005 | 220 | #1078 |
| 2004 | 216 | #1067 |
| 2003 | 199 | #1105 |
| 2002 | 244 | #916 |
| 2001 | 270 | #846 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Rita a popular girl name?
Rita ranked #1285 among girls in 2025 with 174 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1280.
When was the name Rita most popular?
Rita peaked in 1949, when 6,653 American girls received the name (ranked #54 that year). Since 1949 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Rita?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 10,345 newborn American girls was named Rita. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.