How Many People Are Named Rita?
An estimated 122,252 people in the United States have the first name Rita. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #451 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 66 years old, and Rita peaked in popularity in 1949 with 6,670 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Rita as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Rita paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Rita is overwhelmingly female, 778 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 66, Rita is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1970.
- Rita has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
122,252
About 1 in 2,804 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.7% confidence
Average Age
66
years old
Peak Year
1949
6,670 births
Total Registered
285,052
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Rita
Rita is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 285,052 total births registered, 99.7% were female.
Rita as a male name
Ranked #5,458 in 1984
7 male births in 1984
Peak: 1931 (30 births)
Rita as a female name
Ranked #1,404 in 2024
159 female births in 2024
Peak: 1949 (6,654 births)
Rita: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Rita span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 60,390 babies were registered. Rita has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Rita by Decade
How has Rita tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 325 | 0 | 325 | |
| 1890s | 1,029 | 0 | 1,029 | |
| 1900s | 1,992 | 0 | 1,992 | |
| 1910s | 23,881 | 31 | 23,850 | |
| 1920s | 50,724 | 137 | 50,587 | |
| 1930s | 38,921 | 181 | 38,740 | |
| 1940s | 49,993 | 139 | 49,854 | |
| 1950s | 60,390 | 125 | 60,265 | |
| 1960s | 32,987 | 106 | 32,881 | |
| 1970s | 10,591 | 43 | 10,548 | |
| 1980s | 6,167 | 16 | 6,151 | |
| 1990s | 3,219 | 0 | 3,219 | |
| 2000s | 2,169 | 0 | 2,169 | |
| 2010s | 1,828 | 0 | 1,828 | |
| 2020s | 836 | 0 | 836 | |
Rita by State
Birth registrations for Rita span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois. The lowest are in Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii. On average, about 5,445 Ritas were registered per state.
Rita + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Rita as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Rita
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
Rita: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rita?
We estimate approximately 122,252 people named Rita are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,804 Americans share this first name.
Is Rita a common name?
Rita is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 285,052 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Rita most popular?
Rita reached peak popularity in 1949, when 6,670 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Rita is approximately 66 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Rita a female name?
Rita is predominantly female. 99.7% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Rita Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Rita Smith, Rita Johnson, Rita Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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