Rita (given name)

Rita is a common female first name, often a name in its own right, but mostly a shortened version of Margarita. The feast day of Rita is generally celebrated on May 22 in honor of Saint Rita of Cascia. The following are notable people with the name Rita.

In media and entertainment

In film, television and theater

• Rita Camarneiro (born 1988), Portuguese comedian and TV presenter
• Rita Christiani (1917-2008), Trinidad-born African-American dancer
• Rita Hayworth (1918–1987), American actress
• Rita Sririta Jensen (born 1981), Thai model and actress
• Rita Moreno (born 1931), Puerto Rican-born American actress
• Rita Raave (born 1951), Estonian actress
• Rita Rätsepp (born 1962), Estonian actress
• Rita Rudner (born 1956), American comedian and writer
• Rita Simons (born 1977), English actress and singer
• Rita Tushingham (born 1942), English actress
• Rita Wilson (born 1956), American actress and producer

In journalism and literature

• Rita Mae Brown (born 1944), American writer and activist
• Rita Cosby (born 1964), American journalist
• Rita Deverell (born 1945), Canadian journalist
• Rita Dove (born 1952), American poet
• Rita Clay Estrada (born 1941), romance novelist

In music

• Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984), stage name of Rita Thyagarajan, an Indian playback singer
• Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962), stage name of Rita Yahan-Farouz Kleinstein, Persian-born Israeli singer and actress
• Rita (Japanese singer), Japanese voice actress, singer, and lyricist
• Rita Abatzi (1914–1969), Greek singer
• Rita Coolidge (born 1945), American singer
• Rita Daniela (born 1995), Filipina singer, actress and television host
• Rita Gorr (born 1926), Belgian operatic mezzo-soprano
• Rita Guerra (born 1967), Portuguese singer
• Rita Hosking (born 1969), American singer-songwriter
• Rita Hunter (1933-2001), British operatic dramatic soprano
• Rita Kassabian, Armenian composer
• Rita Lee (born 1947), Brazilian musician
• Rita MacNeil (born 1944), Canadian country and folk singer
• Rita Marley (born 1946), Jamaican singer and widow of Bob Marley
• Rita Ora (born 1990), British singer-songwriter
• Rita Pavone (born 1945), Italian singer
• Rita Reys (born 1924), Dutch jazz singer
• Rita Sakellariou (1934–1999), Greek singer
• Rita Simons (born 1977), English actress and singer
• Rita Steblin (born 1951), Canadian musicologist
• Rita Streich (1920–1987), operatic soprano

In visual arts

• Rita Angus (1908–1970), New Zealand painter
• Rita Donagh (born 1939), British artist

Fictional characters

• Rita, a female cat in the show Animaniacs
• Rita, in the franchise Jungledyret Hugo
• Rita, a Saluki dog in Disney film Oliver & Company
• Rita Bennett, in the TV series Dexter and the novels by Jeff Lindsay on which the series is based
• Rita Desjardin, from the book Carrie
• Rita Foster, in the film Cypher
• Rita Hanson, in the film Groundhog Day (as well as the musical of the same name)
• Rita Loud, in the TV series The Loud House
• Rita Malone, a female rat in the film Flushed Away
• Rita Mordio, in Tales of Vesperia
• Rita Repulsa, a villain in the TV series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
• Rita Skeeter, in the Harry Potter franchise
• Rita Stapleton, in the TV series The Guiding Light
• Rita Sullivan, in the TV series Coronation Street
• Rita or Susan White, in Educating Rita
• Rita, the Cardcaptors name for the Cardcaptor Sakura character Rika Sasaki
• Rita Torres, in the TV series Exosquad

In government and politics

• Rita of Armenia (1278–1333), Empress of Byzantium
• Rita Baranwal, Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy, USA
• Rita Barberá (born 1948), Spanish politician and mayor of Valencia
• Rita Borsellino (1945–2018), Italian politician
• Rita Fan (born 1945), Hong Kong politician
• Rita Johnston (born 1935), Canadian politician
• Rita Lau (born 1953), retired Hong Kong senior government official
• Rita Potts Parks (born 1962), American politician
• Rita Süssmuth (born 1937), German politician
• Rita Tamašunienė (born 1973). Lithuanian politician
• Rita Verdonk (born 1955), Dutch politician

In sport

• Rita Crockett (born 1957), American volleyball player
• Rita Drávucz (born 1980), Hungarian water polo player
• Rita Jeptoo (born 1981), Kenyan marathon runner
• Rita Tamašauskaitė (born 1941), Lithuanian rower
• Adam Rita (born 1947), Canadian Football League executive and former coach
• Jani Rita (born 1981), Finnish ice hockey player

In other fields

• Rita of Cascia (1381–1457), Italian Augustinian saint
• Rita Atria (1974–1992), Italian anti-Mafia witness
• Rita R. Colwell (born 1934), environmental microbiologist
• Rita Jenrette (born 1949), former wife of disgraced U.S. Representative John Jenrette, posed for Playboy magazine
• Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909–2012), Italian-American neurologist
• Rita de Acosta Lydig (1875–1929), American socialite
• Rita Jaima Paru, Papua New Guinean food entrepreneur
• Rita Panahi, American-Iranian Australian