Total births
215,165
Girls' name · since 1880
Anita
Anita has 215,165 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1957 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1467
- among girls today
- 215,165
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Anita is the #1467 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 215,165 recorded since 1880.
Anita has 215,165 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1467 as of the latest data, more common than 92% of girls, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1467 among girls today
- 215,165 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 92% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Anita is currently the #1467 girls' name in America, more common than 92% of girls - 215,165 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #1467
- among girls today
- 215,165
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
Anita vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1467
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 92% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Anita was born in this single decade.
1957
Single peak year
5,811 babies were named Anita in 1957 - its busiest year on record.
How Anita compares
215,165 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Anita's all-time total is 563x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Anita | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 215,165 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 5,811 | 48 | 19,840 |
Anita's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Anita's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 55% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 45%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 16 births recorded -- set against the 1957 peak of 5,811, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Anita at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1957
Current rank
#1,467
Active since
1880
Anita popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1957)
- 5,811
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Anita popularity over time - boys
684 total births recorded since 1917 (Anita as boys' name)
Anita by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Anita's strongest decade.
47,588 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Anita births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 365
1880s
365 births
- 1890s 1,191
1890s
1,191 births
- 1900s 2,149
1900s
2,149 births
- 1910s 9,555
1910s
9,555 births
- 1920s 18,052
1920s
18,052 births
- 1930s
1930s
22,224 births
- 1940s
1940s
32,531 births
- 1950s
1950s
47,588 births
- 1960s
1960s
44,416 births
- 1970s 18,834
1970s
18,834 births
- 1980s 8,594
1980s
8,594 births
- 1990s 4,571
1990s
4,571 births
- 2000s 2,471
2000s
2,471 births
- 2010s 1,695
2010s
1,695 births
- 2020s 929
2020s
929 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 47,588 births (22% of all-time use).
How Anita compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Anita's total volume
Anita vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Anita by state
Where Anita concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 18,245 | 8.5% |
| #2 | New York | | 17,996 | 8.4% |
| #3 | Texas | | 17,718 | 8.2% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 11,398 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 10,755 | 5.0% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 10,343 | 4.8% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 6,987 | 3.2% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 6,257 | 2.9% |
California share of Anita's total US births 8.5%
Even split
18,245 of 215,165 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Anita appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Anita? ▼
Anita has been given to 215,165 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #1467 as of the latest data. 5,811 babies were born in 1957, its single highest year.
When was Anita most popular? ▼
Anita was most popular in the 1950s decade with 47,588 total births. The single peak year was 1957.
Where is Anita most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Anita are California (18,245 births), New York (17,996 births), Texas (17,718 births).
How long has the name Anita been used? ▼
Anita has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Anita? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Aniyah, Aniya, Anika, Anissa, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Anita's data
- Anita's decade-level peak was the 1950s (47,588 total births); usage has since declined to 929 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Anitas (18,245 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Anita
Nearby Names Like Anita
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Anita
Aniyah Girl
#459 31,207 births
Aniya Girl
#1177 18,085 births
Anika Girl
#862 16,804 births
Anissa Girl
#2673 12,498 births
Anisa Girl
#2158 5,558 births
Compare Anita side by side: Anita vs Aniyah Anita vs Aniya Anita vs Anika
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Anita
Louella #1466
13,958 births · Peak 1932
Rosalind #1468
27,136 births · Peak 1965
Loyalty #1465
2,334 births · Peak 2021
Noelia #1469
7,655 births · Peak 2006
Aranza #1464
3,395 births · Peak 2014
Jael #1470
4,561 births · Peak 2012
Montserrat #1463
5,669 births · Peak 2014
Aislinn #1471
5,521 births · Peak 2018
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Anita: #1467 Girls' Name - 215,165 Births, Peak 1957." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/anita. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Anita draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.