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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201959peak #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 1959

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #71 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 214 girlsAKMaine: #159 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 823 girlsMEVermont: #135 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 599 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #100 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 368 girlsNHWashington: #117 for girls · 56 births · 1 in 510 girlsWAIdaho: #159 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 635 girlsIDMontana: #84 for girls · 22 births · 1 in 309 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #88 for girls · 21 births · 1 in 331 girlsNDMinnesota: #109 for girls · 82 births · 1 in 484 girlsMNIllinois: #93 for girls · 284 births · 1 in 382 girlsILWisconsin: #84 for girls · 124 births · 1 in 358 girlsWIMichigan: #113 for girls · 171 births · 1 in 527 girlsMINew York: #125 for girls · 304 births · 1 in 554 girlsNYMassachusetts: #113 for girls · 89 births · 1 in 601 girlsMARhode Island: #112 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 552 girlsRIOregon: #150 for girls · 23 births · 1 in 664 girlsORNevada: #125 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 431 girlsNVWyoming: #110 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 400 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #79 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 304 girlsSDIowa: #103 for girls · 66 births · 1 in 434 girlsIAIndiana: #64 for girls · 201 births · 1 in 249 girlsINOhio: #81 for girls · 318 births · 1 in 333 girlsOHPennsylvania: #110 for girls · 259 births · 1 in 442 girlsPANew Jersey: #124 for girls · 92 births · 1 in 622 girlsNJConnecticut: #114 for girls · 46 births · 1 in 531 girlsCTCalifornia: #139 for girls · 270 births · 1 in 616 girlsCAUtah: #193 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 859 girlsUTColorado: #87 for girls · 55 births · 1 in 344 girlsCONebraska: #86 for girls · 39 births · 1 in 376 girlsNEMissouri: #70 for girls · 157 births · 1 in 287 girlsMOKentucky: #47 for girls · 184 births · 1 in 179 girlsKYWest Virginia: #56 for girls · 76 births · 1 in 241 girlsWVVirginia: #72 for girls · 140 births · 1 in 290 girlsVAMaryland: #103 for girls · 76 births · 1 in 401 girlsMDDelaware: #124 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 462 girlsDEArizona: #90 for girls · 40 births · 1 in 360 girlsAZNew Mexico: #57 for girls · 55 births · 1 in 218 girlsNMKansas: #63 for girls · 82 births · 1 in 265 girlsKSArkansas: #55 for girls · 80 births · 1 in 223 girlsARTennessee: #44 for girls · 203 births · 1 in 180 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #67 for girls · 175 births · 1 in 280 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #81 for girls · 78 births · 1 in 341 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #108 for girls · 32 births · 1 in 411 girlsDCOklahoma: #80 for girls · 64 births · 1 in 333 girlsOKLouisiana: #113 for girls · 86 births · 1 in 461 girlsLAMississippi: #65 for girls · 103 births · 1 in 252 girlsMSAlabama: #61 for girls · 139 births · 1 in 255 girlsALGeorgia: #86 for girls · 119 births · 1 in 376 girlsGAHawaii: #184 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 674 girlsHITexas: #88 for girls · 289 births · 1 in 394 girlsTXFlorida: #95 for girls · 115 births · 1 in 424 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Tennessee#44 · 1 in 180
  2. Kentucky#47 · 1 in 179
  3. Arkansas#55 · 1 in 223
  4. West Virginia#56 · 1 in 241
  5. New Mexico#57 · 1 in 218

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Tennessee#442031 in 180
Kentucky#471841 in 179
Arkansas#55801 in 223
West Virginia#56761 in 241
New Mexico#57551 in 218
Alabama#611391 in 255
Kansas#63821 in 265
Indiana#642011 in 249
Mississippi#651031 in 252
North Carolina#671751 in 280
Missouri#701571 in 287
Alaska#71121 in 214
Virginia#721401 in 290
South Dakota#79241 in 304
Oklahoma#80641 in 333
Ohio#813181 in 333
South Carolina#81781 in 341
Montana#84221 in 309
Wisconsin#841241 in 358
Georgia#861191 in 376
Nebraska#86391 in 376
Colorado#87551 in 344
North Dakota#88211 in 331
Texas#882891 in 394
Arizona#90401 in 360
Illinois#932841 in 382
Florida#951151 in 424
New Hampshire#100151 in 368
Iowa#103661 in 434
Maryland#103761 in 401
District of Columbia#108321 in 411
Minnesota#109821 in 484
Pennsylvania#1102591 in 442
Wyoming#11071 in 400
Rhode Island#112151 in 552
Louisiana#113861 in 461
Massachusetts#113891 in 601
Michigan#1131711 in 527
Connecticut#114461 in 531
Washington#117561 in 510
Delaware#124101 in 462
New Jersey#124921 in 622
Nevada#12551 in 431
New York#1253041 in 554
Vermont#13561 in 599
California#1392701 in 616
Oregon#150231 in 664
Idaho#159101 in 635
Maine#159121 in 823
Hawaii#18491 in 674
Utah#193121 in 859

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 1959

girls
#98
4,952 births · 1 in 409 girls
boys
#3,290
7 births · 1 in 304,931 boys

Top girls' names in 1959

  1. #1Mary54,502
  2. #2Susan41,617
  3. #3Linda40,410
  4. #4Karen36,784
  5. #5Donna36,468
  6. #6Patricia35,223
  7. #7Debra31,388
  8. #8Cynthia30,186
  9. #9Deborah29,546
  10. #10Lisa25,699
  11. #98Rita4,952

Top boys' names in 1959

  1. #1Michael85,294
  2. #2David83,977
  3. #3James78,648
  4. #4John76,446
  5. #5Robert74,542
  6. #6Mark56,945
  7. #7William51,386
  8. #8Richard47,202
  9. #9Thomas40,296
  10. #10Steven33,597
  11. #3,290Rita7
More about 1959

girls

2,023,462 girls got a published name in 1959; 1 in 409 of them was named Rita, which outranked 98.6% of the 7,202 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.9% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rita
  1. #95Terry5,215
  2. #96Suzanne5,161
  3. #97Ruth5,057
  4. #98Rita4,952
  5. #99Anna4,878
  6. #100Renee4,845
  7. #101Stephanie4,826
Biggest movers since 1958
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,090Alesia#1,985 → #895
  2. ↑ 948Tori#1,791 → #843
  3. ↑ 440Taryn#1,211 → #771
  4. ↑ 437Venus#1,007 → #570
  5. ↑ 393Vilma#1,364 → #971
Fallers
  1. ↓ 283Dani#961 → #1,244
  2. ↓ 257Nicki#973 → #1,230
  3. ↓ 235Lanita#973 → #1,208
  4. ↓ 219Concetta#973 → #1,192
  5. ↓ 197Gisele#766 → #963

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

boys

2,134,518 boys got a published name in 1959; 1 in 304,931 of them was named Rita, which outranked 28.0% of the 4,572 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 29.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rita
  1. #3,037Yaakov8
  2. #3,037Yogi8
  3. #3,037Zach8
  4. #3,290Rita7
  5. #3,290Achille7
  6. #3,290Aharon7
  7. #3,290Alessandro7
  8. #3,619Addie6
  9. #3,619Agustine6
  10. #3,619Alban6

Tied with 328 names at #3,290; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1958
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,208Efrem#3,033 → #825
  2. ↑ 901Darin#1,677 → #776
  3. ↑ 871Yancy#1,557 → #686
  4. ↑ 708Raynard#1,677 → #969
  5. ↑ 644Darrin#1,396 → #752
Fallers
  1. ↓ 307Jace#761 → #1,068
  2. ↓ 241Otha#915 → #1,156
  3. ↓ 234Cheryl#994 → #1,228
  4. ↓ 230Dann#969 → #1,199
  5. ↓ 227Carnell#777 → #1,004

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

See the top 100 for 1959 →