The first name Anita
A girl’s name from Spanish meaning “ann”.
Pronounced /əˈniːtə/ 3 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Spanish origin
Anita means “ann” in Spanish.
From Spanish Anita, diminutive of Ana (“Ann”).
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 12 girls were named Anita, making it the 2,278th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 1996, with 71 births (#436).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Anita with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Anita at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 165 girls born in the United States were named Anita, the 1,342nd most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1957, when 5,811 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Anita in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Anita in Finnish, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Welsh too.
Famous people named Anita
83 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Anita BrooknerEnglish novelist and art historian (1928–2016)
- Anita LoosAmerican actress and writer (1888–1981)
- Anita BorgAmerican computer scientist (1949-2003)
- Anita BakerAmerican singer, born 1958
- Anita PageAmerican actress (1910-2008)
- Anita BryantAmerican singer and activist (1940–2024)
- Anita RoddickBritish business woman, founder of The Body Shop (1942-2007)
- Anita PallenbergGerman-Italian actress, model and muse of the Rolling Stones, 1942–2017
- Anita SarkeesianAmerican blogger (born 1983)
- Anita O'DayAmerican jazz singer (1919–2006)
- Anita HillAmerican law professor; witness in Clarence Thomas controversy, born 1956
- Anita AugspurgGerman jurist, actress, writer, editor, and activist (1857–1943)
More Spanish girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Anita mean?
- Anita means “ann” in Spanish.
- What is the origin of the name Anita?
- From Spanish Anita, diminutive of Ana (“Ann”).
- How popular is the name Anita?
- In 2025, 12 girls born in England and Wales were named Anita, ranking 2,278th. Its peak was 1996, with 71 births.
- Is Anita a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 215,849 US babies named Anita since 1880 were girls.
- When was Anita most popular?
- 1957 in the United States, when 5,811 babies were named Anita, its highest rank at 81st.
- How do you pronounce Anita?
- Anita is /əˈniːtə/, 3 syllables.