Total births
3,399
Girls' name · since 1880
Retta
Retta has 3,399 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1922 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #12164
- among girls today
- 3,399
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 31%
- more common than other girls
Retta currently ranks #12164 among girls' names in America, with 3,399 babies recorded since 1880.
Retta has 3,399 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #12164 as of the latest data, more common than 31% 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.
- #12164 among girls today
- 3,399 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 31% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Retta is currently the #12164 girls' name in America, more common than 31% of girls - 3,399 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #12164
- among girls today
- 3,399
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 31%
- more common than other girls
Retta vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#12164
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 31% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
14% of everyone ever named Retta was born in this single decade.
1922
Single peak year
60 babies were named Retta in 1922 - its busiest year on record.
How Retta compares
3,399 Top 16% higher than 84% 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
Retta's all-time total is 9x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Retta | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 3,399 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 60 | 48 | 19,840 |
Retta's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Retta splits its recorded history at 1939: 41% of all births land in the more recent half, 59% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1978 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1922 peak of 60 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Retta at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1922
Current rank
#12,164
Active since
1880
Retta popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1922)
- 60
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Retta by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Retta's strongest decade.
482 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
Retta births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
249 births
- 1890s
1890s
294 births
- 1900s
1900s
276 births
- 1910s
1910s
334 births
- 1920s
1920s
443 births
- 1930s
1930s
437 births
- 1940s
1940s
435 births
- 1950s
1950s
482 births
- 1960s
1960s
225 births
- 1970s 101
1970s
101 births
- 1980s 42
1980s
42 births
- 1990s 16
1990s
16 births
- 2000s 5
2000s
5 births
- 2010s 28
2010s
28 births
- 2020s 32
2020s
32 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 482 births (14% of all-time use).
How Retta 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 Retta's total volume
Retta vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Retta by state
Where Retta concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 61 | 1.8% |
| #2 | Oklahoma | | 37 | 1.1% |
| #3 | Tennessee | | 33 | 1.0% |
| #4 | West Virginia | | 24 | 0.7% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 20 | 0.6% |
| #6 | Kentucky | | 12 | 0.4% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 11 | 0.3% |
| #8 | California | | 10 | 0.3% |
Texas share of Retta's total US births 1.8%
Even split
61 of 3,399 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 16 reporting states.
Retta appears in 16 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Retta? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 3,399 babies named Retta. Today it holds rank #12164 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1922, with 60 births.
When was Retta most popular? ▼
Retta was most popular in the 1950s decade with 482 total births. The single peak year was 1922.
Where is Retta most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Retta are Texas (61 births), Oklahoma (37 births), Tennessee (33 births).
How long has the name Retta been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Retta since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Retta? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Retha, Reta, Retal, Retaj, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Retta's data
- Retta's decade-level peak was the 1950s (482 total births); usage has since declined to 32 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Rettas (61 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 Retta
Nearby Names Like Retta
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Retta
Retha Girl
10,597 births
Reta Girl
8,616 births
Retal Girl
#4031 341 births
Retaj Girl
#9406 244 births
Rettie Girl
163 births
Compare Retta side by side: Retta vs Retha Retta vs Reta Retta vs Retal
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Retta
George #12163
9,963 births · Peak 1927
Letitia #12165
11,408 births · Peak 1964
Catharine #12162
12,994 births · Peak 1915
Edythe #12166
13,880 births · Peak 1918
Dessie #12161
11,414 births · Peak 1918
Libbie #12167
2,513 births · Peak 1915
Zeari #12160
13 births · Peak 2024
Vena #12168
2,804 births · Peak 1919
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. "Retta: #12164 Girls' Name - 3,399 Births, Peak 1922." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/retta. 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 Retta 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.