Anita is a distinctive choice, ranked #2278 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Anita in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#2278
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About the Name Anita
Anita has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 391 places in five years. It was most popular in 1996 at #436 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Anita is rare in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Anita in their class.
⭐ Famous People Named Anita
Anita Briem — Aníta Briem is an Icelandic actress and screenwriter.
Vurnon Anita — Vurnon San Benito Anita is a Curaçaoan professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or full-back for Vierde Divisie side Ajax Amateurs.
Anita Bose Pfaff — Anita Bose Pfaff is an Austrian economist, who has previously been a professor at the University of Augsburg as well as a politician in the Social Democratic Party of Germany.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Anita
Unlikely. With around 12 UK babies named Anita per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Anita in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Anita is declining: down 926 places since 2020, to #2,278 in 2025. It peaked at #436 in 1996.
Anita is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Anita include: Anita Briem, Vurnon Anita and Anita Bose Pfaff. Short summaries for each appear below.
Anita does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Anitas in the wild.
12
UK babies named Anita (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 926 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Anita
Almost certainly the only Anita in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Anita
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Anita Bose Pfaff is an Austrian economist, who has previously been a professor at the University of Augsburg as well as a politician in the Social Democratic Party of Germany.
Anita Mui Yim-fong was a Hong Kong singer and actress who made major contributions to the Cantopop music scene and received numerous awards and honours.