Rita is a distinctive choice, ranked #625 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Rita in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2024
#625
About the Name Rita
Rita is steadily gaining in popularity, up 49 places over the past five years. Its best recorded rank was #573 in 2016, and it currently sits at #625. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Rita is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Rita
Unlikely. With around 62 UK babies named Rita per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Rita in her class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Rita is currently rising in popularity in the UK, up 49 places over the last five years to #625 in 2024. If this trend continues, it will become more common in classrooms over the next decade.
Rita 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 Rita include: Rita Chatterton — Rita Chatterton is a retired professional wrestling referee.; Rita Incerti — Rita Incerti is a Justice in the Trial Division of the Supreme Court of Victoria.; Rita Marley — Alfarita Constantia Marley is a Jamaican reggae singer..
Rita does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Ritas in the wild.
62
UK babies named Rita (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↑ 49 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Rita
Likely around 1 other Rita in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Rita
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Rita Chatterton is a retired professional wrestling referee. Appearing as Rita Marie, she became the first female referee in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1984.
Rita Incerti is a Justice in the Trial Division of the Supreme Court of Victoria. She has also been known as Justice Rita Zammit, but reverted to using her maiden name, Incerti, in January 2020.
Rita Giménez García, most commonly known as Rita la Cantaora, was one of the most famous Spanish singers of flamenco in her time due to her performances in cafés cantantes, places where flamenco artists used to play music live.
Rita of Cascia, OSA, was an Italian Catholic widow and Augustinian nun. After Rita's husband died, she joined a small community of nuns who later became Augustinians.
Rita Ori Filomena Merk-Pavone is an Italian-Swiss pop singer, actress and showgirl, who rose to prominence in the 1960s. Known as "the Mosquito of Turin" (la Zanzara di Torino), she was also nicknamed "Carrot Hair" (Pel di carota) because of the red color of her hair.