Meaning not yet researched.
Rita: US girls given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 174 in 2025. Its best rank was #42 in 1930.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #42 in 1930; #1,287 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Rita in 2025 was a girl.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#1,287 for US girls in 2025. Its best year was 1930, at #42.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Rita: US girls given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 174 girls in 2025. Peak: #42 in 1930 · most girls in one year: 6,653 (1949).
In 2025, 174 US girls were named Rita, making it the 1,287th most common girls’ name of the year, up 110 places from #1,397 in 2024. That is 13 more than the 161 girls named Rita in 2024. Its best rank for girls was #42, reached in 1930. The most girls given the name in a single year was 6,653, in 1949. For comparison, it was #1,283 in 2015 and #56 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Rita in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 19 babies with the name. In all, 285,230 US babies have been given the name, 99.7% of them girls and 0.3% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1950s, with 60,390 babies named Rita.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 1,783 US girls were named Rita; the busiest of those years was 2016, with 210. In 2025 that was about 1 in 9,237 of the girls in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Rita ranked highest in Maryland in 2025, at #712 for girls there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Margarita (40,418 babies since 1880), Retha (10,597 babies since 1880), Reta (8,616 babies since 1880) and Retta (3,399 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Reita, Ryota and Reata are summarised on this page.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Wikidata records this spelling as a given name in Catalan, Dutch, Italian and Latvian. That is where the name is used, not necessarily where it comes from.
Rare spellings summarised here: Reita (1,364), Ryota (185), Reata (161), Ritta (159), Reeta (158), Riata (145), Ritha (140), Reitha (60), Rietta (28), Rieta (20).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
No nicknames listed for Rita in the open dataset we use.
Rita is listed as a nickname for Jerita, Margaret, Margaretta, Margarita.
Source: carltonnorthern/nicknames (Apache-2.0).
US girls. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five girls got the name, so 40 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 7 | #712 | — |
| Virginia | 10 | #752 | #1,187 |
| Wisconsin | 5 | #901 | — |
| Arizona | 6 | #1,013 | #1,065 |
| Colorado | 5 | #1,023 | — |
| New York | 14 | #1,075 | #1,201 |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | #1,090 | #1,589 |
| California | 24 | #1,108 | #824 |
| North Carolina | 6 | #1,406 | — |
| Ohio | 6 | #1,411 | #1,423 |
| Texas | 13 | #1,768 | #1,693 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 174 | #1,287 | — | — |
| 2024 | 161 | #1,397 | — | — |
| 2023 | 164 | #1,376 | — | — |
| 2022 | 178 | #1,323 | — | — |
| 2021 | 150 | #1,437 | — | — |
| 2020 | 185 | #1,234 | — | — |
| 2019 | 169 | #1,348 | — | — |
| 2018 | 185 | #1,254 | — | — |
| 2017 | 207 | #1,186 | — | — |
| 2016 | 210 | #1,190 | — | — |
| 2015 | 190 | #1,283 | — | — |
| 2014 | 171 | #1,367 | — | — |
| 2013 | 182 | #1,291 | — | — |
| 2012 | 169 | #1,382 | — | — |
| 2011 | 169 | #1,368 | — | — |
| 2010 | 176 | #1,341 | — | — |
| 2009 | 166 | #1,419 | — | — |
| 2008 | 186 | #1,328 | — | — |
| 2007 | 210 | #1,202 | — | — |
| 2006 | 207 | #1,180 | — | — |
| 2005 | 220 | #1,083 | — | — |
| 2004 | 216 | #1,072 | — | — |
| 2003 | 199 | #1,111 | — | — |
| 2002 | 244 | #918 | — | — |
| 2001 | 270 | #849 | — | — |
| 2000 | 251 | #881 | — | — |
| 1999 | 229 | #924 | — | — |
| 1998 | 246 | #864 | — | — |
| 1997 | 240 | #854 | — | — |
| 1996 | 303 | #704 | — | — |
| 1995 | 296 | #708 | — | — |
| 1994 | 318 | #671 | — | — |
| 1993 | 342 | #653 | — | — |
| 1992 | 390 | #589 | — | — |
| 1991 | 423 | #553 | — | — |
| 1990 | 434 | #545 | — | — |
| 1989 | 412 | #551 | — | — |
| 1988 | 485 | #466 | — | — |
| 1987 | 518 | #432 | — | — |
| 1986 | 544 | #408 | — | — |
| 1985 | 588 | #386 | — | — |
| 1984 | 607 | #377 | 7 | #5,460 |
| 1983 | 592 | #376 | — | — |
| 1982 | 709 | #338 | — | — |
| 1981 | 855 | #284 | — | — |
| 1980 | 840 | #297 | 9 | #4,423 |
| 1979 | 881 | #277 | 5 | #6,859 |
| 1978 | 892 | #263 | 9 | #4,101 |
| 1977 | 802 | #295 | — | — |
| 1976 | 859 | #271 | — | — |
| 1975 | 883 | #273 | — | — |
| 1974 | 992 | #256 | — | — |
| 1973 | 1,031 | #248 | — | — |
| 1972 | 1,199 | #230 | 7 | #4,347 |
| 1971 | 1,418 | #215 | 11 | #3,105 |
| 1970 | 1,590 | #203 | 11 | #3,030 |
| 1969 | 1,736 | #184 | — | — |
| 1968 | 2,073 | #159 | 11 | #2,695 |
| 1967 | 2,380 | #146 | 9 | #2,940 |
| 1966 | 2,688 | #135 | 13 | #2,312 |
| 1965 | 3,067 | #126 | 7 | #3,487 |
| 1964 | 3,470 | #122 | 11 | #2,629 |
| 1963 | 3,808 | #115 | 13 | #2,394 |
| 1962 | 4,102 | #110 | 17 | #2,022 |
| 1961 | 4,532 | #105 | 10 | #2,864 |
| 1960 | 5,027 | #96 | 15 | #2,187 |
| 1959 | 4,952 | #98 | 7 | #3,538 |
| 1958 | 5,340 | #88 | 19 | #1,882 |
| 1957 | 6,018 | #78 | 16 | #2,074 |
| 1956 | 6,054 | #79 | 8 | #3,156 |
| 1955 | 6,094 | #72 | 17 | #1,960 |
| 1954 | 6,536 | #67 | 15 | #2,098 |
| 1953 | 6,284 | #64 | 6 | #3,724 |
| 1952 | 6,148 | #66 | 12 | #2,351 |
| 1951 | 6,415 | #61 | 11 | #2,471 |
| 1950 | 6,424 | #56 | 14 | #2,097 |
| 1949 | 6,653 | #54 | 16 | #1,927 |
| 1948 | 5,835 | #59 | 10 | #2,580 |
| 1947 | 5,982 | #60 | 17 | #1,901 |
| 1946 | 5,533 | #56 | 13 | #2,123 |
| 1945 | 4,282 | #59 | 9 | #2,546 |
| 1944 | 4,530 | #54 | 10 | #2,437 |
| 1943 | 5,011 | #52 | 15 | #1,976 |
| 1942 | 4,706 | #55 | 15 | #1,929 |
| 1941 | 3,879 | #63 | 20 | #1,578 |
| 1940 | 3,442 | #70 | 14 | #1,970 |
| 1939 | 3,188 | #78 | 16 | #1,779 |
| 1938 | 3,357 | #74 | 8 | #2,822 |
| 1937 | 3,421 | #69 | 12 | #2,174 |
| 1936 | 3,334 | #69 | 21 | #1,498 |
| 1935 | 3,579 | #63 | 12 | #2,221 |
| 1934 | 3,683 | #63 | 15 | #1,913 |
| 1933 | 3,840 | #53 | 18 | #1,694 |
| 1932 | 4,256 | #53 | 28 | #1,318 |
| 1931 | 4,613 | #48 | 30 | #1,276 |
| 1930 | 5,470 | #42 | 21 | #1,641 |
| 1929 | 4,767 | #52 | 17 | #1,912 |
| 1928 | 4,810 | #57 | 22 | #1,637 |
| 1927 | 5,084 | #54 | 19 | #1,857 |
| 1926 | 5,015 | #50 | 13 | #2,406 |
| 1925 | 5,323 | #48 | 16 | #2,069 |
| 1924 | 5,381 | #49 | 12 | #2,598 |
| 1923 | 5,095 | #50 | 6 | #4,158 |
| 1922 | 4,976 | #52 | 8 | #3,477 |
| 1921 | 5,157 | #48 | 11 | #2,767 |
| 1920 | 4,979 | #52 | 13 | #2,430 |
| 1919 | 4,515 | #54 | — | — |
| 1918 | 4,447 | #58 | 11 | #2,668 |
| 1917 | 3,870 | #63 | — | — |
| 1916 | 3,477 | #67 | 7 | #3,449 |
| 1915 | 3,063 | #71 | 8 | #3,017 |
| 1914 | 2,010 | #87 | — | — |
| 1913 | 1,096 | #116 | 5 | #3,182 |
| 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 | #242 | — | — |
| 1903 | 174 | #228 | — | — |
| 1902 | 148 | #257 | — | — |
| 1901 | 135 | #249 | — | — |
| 1900 | 162 | #256 | — | — |
| 1899 | 147 | #228 | — | — |
| 1898 | 146 | #244 | — | — |
| 1897 | 117 | #264 | — | — |
| 1896 | 109 | #275 | — | — |
| 1895 | 105 | #275 | — | — |
| 1894 | 104 | #273 | — | — |
| 1893 | 95 | #275 | — | — |
| 1892 | 87 | #291 | — | — |
| 1891 | 65 | #314 | — | — |
| 1890 | 54 | #349 | — | — |
| 1889 | 75 | #276 | — | — |
| 1888 | 52 | #335 | — | — |
| 1887 | 40 | #342 | — | — |
| 1886 | 28 | #414 | — | — |
| 1885 | 31 | #372 | — | — |
| 1884 | 24 | #414 | — | — |
| 1883 | 15 | #514 | — | — |
| 1882 | 21 | #402 | — | — |
| 1881 | 20 | #382 | — | — |
| 1880 | 19 | #385 | — | — |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).