The story behind Rita
From Romance (Italian Rita, Spanish Rita). A shortening of Italian Margherita, and Spanish Margarita, cognates of English Margaret. An Italian Saint Rita was canonized in 1900. The English name came into regular use in early twentieth century.
Other language forms and explanations (2)
English entry
From South Asian languages, from Sanskrit रीता (rītā).
Finnish entry
More directly from Italian Rita. Compare Riitta, which has been in use for longer.
Pronunciation
US English (ARPAbet): R IY1 T AH0
Regional pronunciation variants
- Finnish: /ˈritɑ/
- Finnish: [ˈrit̪ɑ̝]
This is a US English dictionary reading of the spelling; personal pronunciations may differ. Digits mark stress: 0 is unstressed, 1 is primary, 2 is secondary. Pronunciation source and notation.
Popularity
Rita ranked #1287 in US for 2025.
Source: SSA national baby names
Names Similar to Rita
Racnā
Hindi verb set रचना (racnā) रचाना (racānā) From a passive derivative of Sanskrit रच् (rac) (attested as रचयति (racayati, “to fashion”)). Compare Nepali रच्नु (racnu), Punjabi…
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends Ā
- same syllable count
- similar length
Radha
From Sanskrit राधा (rādhā).
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Rādhā
Borrowed from Sanskrit राधा (rādhā).
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends Ā
- same syllable count
- similar length
Rājā
Borrowed from Sanskrit राजा॑ (rā́jā), from राज॑न् (rā́jan), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs, from *h₃reǵ- + *-s. Doublet of राय (rāy), राणा (rāṇā), and राना (rānā).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends Ā
- same syllable count
- similar length
Rama
Borrowed from Sanskrit राम (rāma). * (Oumuamua): The nickname derives from the similarity of Oumuamua to the fictional object "Rama" in the story Rendezvous with Rama, where…
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Rāma
Borrowed from Sanskrit राम (rāma).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Middle Names for Rita
Dev
Borrowed from Hindi देव (dev). Learned borrowing from Sanskrit देव (deva), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *daywás, from Proto-Indo-European *deywós, from *dyew- + *-ós.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends V
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Jay
Borrowed from Hindi जय (jay, literally “victory”). Borrowed from Sanskrit जय (jaya, “victory”).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends Y
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Bāhubalī
Borrowed from Sanskrit बाहुबली (bāhubalī).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 4 syllables
- Ending
- ends Ī
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Sibling Names for Rita
Abel
English Abel From Middle English Abel, from Old English Ābel, from Latin Abel, from Ancient Greek Ἅβελ (Hábel), from Biblical Hebrew הֶבֶל (Héḇel, “Abel”), possibly from the…
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends L
- compatible short style
- shared origin connection
Ajay
Transliteration of Hindi अजय (ajay), etc. Learned borrowing from Sanskrit अजय (ajaya, “victorious; undefeatable”).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends Y
- compatible short style
- shared origin connection
Aldo
Borrowed from Italian Aldo.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends O
- compatible short style
- shared origin connection