girls' name ★ peaked 1957

Anita

Meaning Ann Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,342 Trend → Stable

From Spanish Anita, diminutive of Ana (“Ann”).

Rank 2025
#1,342
among girls · ↑125 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
165
named Anita · +11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,741
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1957
5,831 babies
All-time total
215,849
#184 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Anita popularity over time

215,849 babies have been named Anita since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
123418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 365 – 365 37 – #285
1890s 1,191 – 1,191 119 +226% #207
1900s 2,149 – 2,149 215 +80% #199
1910s 9,555 8 9,563 956 +345% #137
1920s 18,052 62 18,114 1,811 +89% #125
1930s 22,224 111 22,335 2,234 +23% #93
1940s 32,531 115 32,646 3,265 +46% #84
1950s 47,588 110 47,698 4,770 +46% #81
1960s 44,416 140 44,556 4,456 -7% #77
1970s 18,834 81 18,915 1,892 -58% #127
1980s 8,594 51 8,645 865 -54% #223
1990s 4,571 6 4,577 458 -47% #404
2000s 2,471 – 2,471 247 -46% #736
2010s 1,695 – 1,695 170 -31% #1,230
2020s (to 2025) 929 – 929 155 -9% #1,342

Where Anita is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 164 0.10 outside top 500
2027 163 0.10 outside top 500
2028 163 0.10 outside top 500
2029 162 0.10 outside top 500
2030 162 0.10 outside top 500

Where Anita is most popular

Girls named Anita per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.097 per 1,000. Strongest in Washington, California, and Iowa.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Anita born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Washington 22 0.152 +56%
California 112 0.133 +37%
Iowa 7 0.120 +23%
New York 44 0.111 +14%
Texas 84 0.104 +7%
Florida 44 0.103 +5%
Indiana 14 0.100 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 21 0.089 -9%
Kansas 5 0.087 -11%
Arizona 11 0.078 -20%
Wisconsin 8 0.078 -20%
Oregon 5 0.077 -21%
South Carolina 6 0.067 -32%
Alabama 6 0.064 -34%
Ohio 15 0.063 -35%
Colorado 6 0.054 -45%
North Carolina 11 0.048 -50%
Maryland 5 0.047 -52%
Illinois 10 0.044 -55%
Georgia 5 0.022 -77%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Anita

Anita is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,342 in 2025 with 165 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 215,849 American babies have been named Anita. Its peak came in 1957, when 5,831 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Anita stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Anita?

The median living Anita is about 65 years old; half are between 55 and 73. An estimated 144 thousand people named Anita are alive in the United States today.

median 65 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Anita year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 165 #1,342 – –
2024 149 #1,467 – –
2023 155 #1,439 – –
2022 168 #1,373 – –
2021 154 #1,410 – –
2020 138 #1,534 – –
2019 191 #1,230 – –
2018 172 #1,319 – –
2017 188 #1,258 – –
2016 175 #1,353 – –
2015 148 #1,521 – –
2014 164 #1,400 – –
2013 151 #1,470 – –
2012 151 #1,491 – –
2011 181 #1,301 – –
2010 174 #1,349 – –
2009 199 #1,242 – –
2008 238 #1,090 – –
2007 211 #1,196 – –
2006 212 #1,151 – –
2005 223 #1,067 – –
2004 266 #908 – –
2003 245 #954 – –
2002 266 #863 – –
2001 297 #795 – –
2000 314 #736 – –
1995 400 #573 – –
1990 642 #404 6 #7,222
1985 738 #323 8 #4,724
1980 1,151 #223 – –
1975 1,722 #157 5 #5,500
1970 2,895 #127 13 #2,624
1965 4,017 #94 15 #2,089
1960 5,637 #87 16 #2,043
1955 4,718 #94 10 #2,567
1950 3,572 #99 6 #3,341
1945 2,768 #100 8 #2,576
1940 2,828 #87 20 #1,520
1935 1,932 #119 10 #2,401
1930 2,183 #115 11 #2,453
1925 1,764 #146 – –
1920 1,934 #131 7 #3,505
1915 1,116 #164 – –
1910 338 #195 – –
1905 209 #214 – –
1900 176 #242 – –
1895 126 #248 – –
1890 68 #301 – –
1885 34 #341 – –
1880 16 #423 – –

Famous people named Anita

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Anita Pallenberg Anita Pallenberg German actress, artist and model (1942–2017) Contemporary
  2. 2 Anita Sarkeesian Anita Sarkeesian Canadian-American feminist media critic (born 1983) Contemporary
  3. 3 Anita Bryant Anita Bryant American singer and Christian activist (1940–2024) Contemporary
  4. 4 Anita Ekberg Anita Ekberg Swedish actress (1931–2015) Contemporary
  5. 5 Anita Hill Anita Hill American law professor and accuser of Clarence Thomas b. 1956 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Anita Baker Anita Baker American singer-songwriter (born 1958) Contemporary
  7. 7 Anita Mui Anita Mui Hong Kong singer and actress (1963–2003) Contemporary
  8. 8 Anita Briem Icelandic actress (born 1982) Contemporary
  9. 9 Anita Desai Indian novelist (born 1937) Contemporary
  10. 10 Anita Barone American actress (born 1964) Contemporary
  11. 11 Anita Ward Anita Ward American singer and musician (born 1956) Contemporary
  12. 12 Anita Loos Anita Loos American actress and writer (1888–1981) 1889–1981 · 19th century
  13. 13 Anita Yuen Anita Yuen Hong Kong actress b. 1971 · Contemporary
  14. 14 Anita Roddick Anita Roddick British businesswoman and activist (1942–2007) Contemporary
  15. 15 Anita Garibaldi Anita Garibaldi Brazilian revolutionary (1821–1849) 19th century
  16. 16 Anita Page Anita Page American actress (1910–2008) Contemporary
  17. 17 Anita Louise Anita Louise American actress (1915–1970) Contemporary
  18. 18 Anita Brookner Anita Brookner English novelist and art historian (1928–2016) Contemporary
  19. 19 Anita Włodarczyk Anita Włodarczyk Polish hammer thrower (born 1985) Contemporary
  20. 20 Anita Hegerland Norwegian singer b. 1961 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Anita, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Anita?

The median living Anita is about 65 years old. Half of all living Anitas are between 55 and 73 years old.

How many people named Anita are alive today?

An estimated 144 thousand people named Anita are alive in the United States, based on 215,849 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Anita mean?

From Spanish Anita, diminutive of Ana (“Ann”).

How popular is the name Anita in 2025?

Anita ranked #1,342 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 165 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Anita?

215,849 babies have been named Anita in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Anita most popular?

Anita peaked in 1957, when 5,831 newborns received the name.

Is Anita a boy or girl name?

Anita is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Anita rising or falling?

Anita has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Anita become more popular?

Anita looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 162 girls named Anita in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Anita?

Well-known people named Anita include Anita Pallenberg (actor), Anita Sarkeesian (writer), Anita Bryant (singer).

Names like Anita

Names that sound and feel close to Anita: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Anita with similar names → More names starting with A →