Total births
284,452
Girls' name · since 1880
Rita
284,452 babies named Rita in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1949. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1395
- among girls today
- 284,452
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Rita is the #1395 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 284,452 recorded since 1880.
Rita has 284,452 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1395 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.
- #1395 among girls today
- 284,452 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 92% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Rita is currently the #1395 girls' name in America, more common than 92% of girls - 284,452 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #1395
- among girls today
- 284,452
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
Rita vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1395
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 92% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Rita was born in this single decade.
1949
Single peak year
6,653 babies were named Rita in 1949 - its busiest year on record.
How Rita compares
284,452 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
Rita's all-time total is 745x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Rita | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 284,452 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 6,653 | 48 | 19,840 |
Rita's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Rita's full recorded timeline at 1953, 35% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 65% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1883, with just 15 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1949 peak of 6,653 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Rita at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1949
Current rank
#1,395
Active since
1880
Rita popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1949)
- 6,653
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Rita popularity over time - boys
778 total births recorded since 1913 (Rita as boys' name)
Rita by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Rita's strongest decade.
60,265 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Rita births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 325
1880s
325 births
- 1890s 1,029
1890s
1,029 births
- 1900s 1,992
1900s
1,992 births
- 1910s 23,850
1910s
23,850 births
- 1920s
1920s
50,587 births
- 1930s
1930s
38,741 births
- 1940s
1940s
49,853 births
- 1950s
1950s
60,265 births
- 1960s
1960s
32,883 births
- 1970s 10,547
1970s
10,547 births
- 1980s 6,150
1980s
6,150 births
- 1990s 3,221
1990s
3,221 births
- 2000s 2,169
2000s
2,169 births
- 2010s 1,828
2010s
1,828 births
- 2020s 1,012
2020s
1,012 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 60,265 births (21% of all-time use).
How Rita 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 Rita's total volume
Rita vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Rita by state
Where Rita concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 32,468 | 11.4% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 24,168 | 8.5% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 17,643 | 6.2% |
| #4 | Massachusetts | | 17,320 | 6.1% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 16,641 | 5.9% |
| #6 | California | | 14,736 | 5.2% |
| #7 | Texas | | 13,415 | 4.7% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 9,815 | 3.5% |
New York share of Rita's total US births 11.4%
Even split
32,468 of 284,452 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Rita appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Rita? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 284,452 babies named Rita. Today it holds rank #1395 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1949, with 6,653 births.
When was Rita most popular? ▼
Rita was most popular in the 1950s decade with 60,265 total births. The single peak year was 1949.
Where is Rita most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Rita are New York (32,468 births), Pennsylvania (24,168 births), Illinois (17,643 births).
How long has the name Rita been used? ▼
Records for Rita go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Rita? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Ritika, Rithika, Ritu, Rital, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Rita's data
- Rita's decade-level peak was the 1950s (60,265 total births); usage has since declined to 1,012 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Ritas (32,468 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Rita
Nearby Names Like Rita
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rita
Ritika Girl
#13964 576 births
Rithika Girl
#11625 404 births
Ritu Girl
341 births
Rital Girl
#8834 187 births
Ritaj Girl
#16731 172 births
Compare Rita side by side: Rita vs Ritika Rita vs Rithika Rita vs Ritu
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Rita
Annya #1394
658 births · Peak 2025
Honesty #1396
5,045 births · Peak 2014
Safiya #1393
2,831 births · Peak 2025
Arizbeth #1397
1,426 births · Peak 2022
Stacy #1392
164,011 births · Peak 1971
Althea #1398
17,980 births · Peak 1956
Jenny #1391
92,101 births · Peak 1977
Jewel #1399
41,485 births · Peak 1920
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. "Rita: #1395 Girls' Name - 284,452 Births, Peak 1949." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/rita. 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 Rita 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.