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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201950peak #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.

Where Rita is popular in 1950

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #43 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 131 girlsAKMaine: #54 for girls · 46 births · 1 in 194 girlsMEVermont: #88 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 347 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #73 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 268 girlsNHWashington: #103 for girls · 61 births · 1 in 405 girlsWAIdaho: #77 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 304 girlsIDMontana: #64 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 246 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #38 for girls · 46 births · 1 in 148 girlsNDMinnesota: #59 for girls · 137 births · 1 in 242 girlsMNIllinois: #43 for girls · 429 births · 1 in 203 girlsILWisconsin: #48 for girls · 163 births · 1 in 226 girlsWIMichigan: #84 for girls · 198 births · 1 in 370 girlsMINew York: #77 for girls · 463 births · 1 in 308 girlsNYMassachusetts: #77 for girls · 123 births · 1 in 359 girlsMARhode Island: #61 for girls · 29 births · 1 in 251 girlsRIOregon: #93 for girls · 37 births · 1 in 408 girlsORNevada: #61 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 181 girlsNVWyoming: #57 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 204 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #45 for girls · 38 births · 1 in 190 girlsSDIowa: #51 for girls · 125 births · 1 in 222 girlsIAIndiana: #33 for girls · 309 births · 1 in 135 girlsINOhio: #47 for girls · 401 births · 1 in 212 girlsOHPennsylvania: #60 for girls · 396 births · 1 in 258 girlsPANew Jersey: #72 for girls · 149 births · 1 in 289 girlsNJConnecticut: #76 for girls · 49 births · 1 in 356 girlsCTCalifornia: #74 for girls · 351 births · 1 in 323 girlsCAUtah: #134 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 568 girlsUTColorado: #49 for girls · 65 births · 1 in 224 girlsCONebraska: #37 for girls · 88 births · 1 in 151 girlsNEMissouri: #51 for girls · 187 births · 1 in 210 girlsMOKentucky: #34 for girls · 243 births · 1 in 138 girlsKYWest Virginia: #39 for girls · 125 births · 1 in 183 girlsWVVirginia: #61 for girls · 125 births · 1 in 280 girlsVAMaryland: #64 for girls · 79 births · 1 in 289 girlsMDDelaware: #127 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 603 girlsDEArizona: #55 for girls · 42 births · 1 in 215 girlsAZNew Mexico: #27 for girls · 70 births · 1 in 129 girlsNMKansas: #39 for girls · 106 births · 1 in 169 girlsKSArkansas: #47 for girls · 110 births · 1 in 194 girlsARTennessee: #52 for girls · 157 births · 1 in 234 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #63 for girls · 178 births · 1 in 271 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #124 for girls · 55 births · 1 in 502 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #79 for girls · 35 births · 1 in 337 girlsDCOklahoma: #43 for girls · 118 births · 1 in 183 girlsOKLouisiana: #54 for girls · 147 births · 1 in 231 girlsLAMississippi: #66 for girls · 103 births · 1 in 275 girlsMSAlabama: #54 for girls · 151 births · 1 in 244 girlsALGeorgia: #73 for girls · 136 births · 1 in 308 girlsGAHawaii: #110 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 380 girlsHITexas: #62 for girls · 354 births · 1 in 270 girlsTXFlorida: #95 for girls · 66 births · 1 in 429 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. New Mexico#27 · 1 in 129
  2. Indiana#33 · 1 in 135
  3. Kentucky#34 · 1 in 138
  4. Nebraska#37 · 1 in 151
  5. North Dakota#38 · 1 in 148

Best ever in a state: #2 in New Hampshire, 1921.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
New Mexico#27701 in 129
Indiana#333091 in 135
Kentucky#342431 in 138
Nebraska#37881 in 151
North Dakota#38461 in 148
Kansas#391061 in 169
West Virginia#391251 in 183
Alaska#4391 in 131
Illinois#434291 in 203
Oklahoma#431181 in 183
South Dakota#45381 in 190
Arkansas#471101 in 194
Ohio#474011 in 212
Wisconsin#481631 in 226
Colorado#49651 in 224
Iowa#511251 in 222
Missouri#511871 in 210
Tennessee#521571 in 234
Alabama#541511 in 244
Louisiana#541471 in 231
Maine#54461 in 194
Arizona#55421 in 215
Wyoming#57131 in 204
Minnesota#591371 in 242
Pennsylvania#603961 in 258
Nevada#6161 in 181
Rhode Island#61291 in 251
Virginia#611251 in 280
Texas#623541 in 270
North Carolina#631781 in 271
Maryland#64791 in 289
Montana#64241 in 246
Mississippi#661031 in 275
New Jersey#721491 in 289
Georgia#731361 in 308
New Hampshire#73181 in 268
California#743511 in 323
Connecticut#76491 in 356
Idaho#77201 in 304
Massachusetts#771231 in 359
New York#774631 in 308
District of Columbia#79351 in 337
Michigan#841981 in 370
Vermont#88101 in 347
Oregon#93371 in 408
Florida#95661 in 429
Washington#103611 in 405
Hawaii#110141 in 380
South Carolina#124551 in 502
Delaware#12751 in 603
Utah#134151 in 568

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

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 1950

girls
#56
6,424 births · 1 in 267 girls
boys
#2,019
14 births · 1 in 127,876 boys

Top girls' names in 1950

  1. #1Linda80,433
  2. #2Mary65,481
  3. #3Patricia47,944
  4. #4Barbara41,556
  5. #5Susan38,017
  6. #6Nancy29,617
  7. #7Deborah29,063
  8. #8Sandra28,896
  9. #9Carol26,163
  10. #10Kathleen25,706
  11. #56Rita6,424

Top boys' names in 1950

  1. #1James86,228
  2. #2Robert83,553
  3. #3John79,412
  4. #4Michael65,136
  5. #5David60,729
  6. #6William60,680
  7. #7Richard51,003
  8. #8Thomas45,596
  9. #9Charles39,095
  10. #10Gary33,737
  11. #2,019Rita14
More about 1950

girls

1,713,054 girls got a published name in 1950; 1 in 267 of them was named Rita, which outranked 99.1% of the 6,109 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rita
  1. #53Phyllis6,695
  2. #54Paula6,631
  3. #55Jacqueline6,455
  4. #56Rita6,424
  5. #57Alice6,363
  6. #58Katherine6,205
  7. #59Debra6,176
Biggest movers since 1949
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,242Mindy#2,013 → #771
  2. ↑ 649Geralyn#1,627 → #978
  3. ↑ 636Kyle#1,512 → #876
  4. ↑ 416Debrah#1,109 → #693
  5. ↑ 405Debbra#1,353 → #948
Fallers
  1. ↓ 241Luana#823 → #1,064
  2. ↓ 231Christene#930 → #1,161
  3. ↓ 216Pearline#785 → #1,001
  4. ↓ 210Ingrid#518 → #728
  5. ↓ 201Dayle#982 → #1,183

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

boys

1,790,262 boys got a published name in 1950; 1 in 127,876 of them was named Rita, which outranked 51.9% of the 4,196 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rita
  1. #1,941Vicky15
  2. #1,941Wes15
  3. #1,941West15
  4. #2,019Rita14
  5. #2,019Ace14
  6. #2,019Aldon14
  7. #2,019Ali14
  8. #2,111Alois13
  9. #2,111Alonso13
  10. #2,111Alphonza13

Tied with 91 names at #2,019; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1949
Risers
  1. ↑ 744Ezzard#1,616 → #872
  2. ↑ 510Kelvin#1,085 → #575
  3. ↑ 447Nancy#1,297 → #850
  4. ↑ 420Samual#1,380 → #960
  5. ↑ 376Shaun#1,275 → #899
Fallers
  1. ↓ 371Sharon#885 → #1,256
  2. ↓ 369Melvyn#770 → #1,139
  3. ↓ 367Les#997 → #1,364
  4. ↓ 351Delmas#905 → #1,256
  5. ↓ 315Denzil#808 → #1,123

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

See the top 100 for 1950 →