Rita

Did you know?

A few things about Rita you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Rita

Rita Wilson

American actress, singer and producer

Choose Rita and your child shares a first name with Rita Wilson, an American actress, singer and producer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Rita, like who?” Rita Wilson's Wikipedia article is available in 46 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Rita Wilson on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: The White House, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 9,234 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Rita, 174 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Rita would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryRita has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Ritas, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1930, when it ranked #42. Today it's #1,285, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendRita has slipped 54 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,285. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedRita is most popular in Maryland, where it ranks #651, followed by Virginia (#704) and Wisconsin (#791). It's in the top 1,000 in 5 states.
• 💬MeaningRita is a Spanish form of Margarita, which means “pearl”.

About the name Rita

Rita is a girl name meaning “pearl”. It has 4 letters and 2 syllables, starting with R and ending in “-ita”. US birth records list Rita for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1930, when it ranked #42 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #1,285, with 174 babies.