Rita is a female 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.
In media and entertainment In film, television and theater Rita Rani Ahuja (born 1978), American actress Rita Avila (born 1964), Filipina actress Rita Azevedo Gomes (born 1952), Portuguese film director Rita Batata (born 1986), Brazilian actress Rita Bell (1893–1992), American singer, entertainer Rita Bhaduri (1955–2018), Indian actress Rita Blanco (born 1963), Portuguese actress Rita Buzzar, Brazilian film producer Rita Calderoni (born 1951), Italian actress Rita Camarneiro (born 1988), Portuguese comedian and TV presenter Rita Carewe (1909–1955), American actress Rita Christiani (1917–2008), Trinidad-born African-American dancer Rita Cléos (1931–1988), Brazilian actress Rita Clermont (1894–1969), German actress Rita Corday (1920–1992), American actress Rita Cortese (born 1949), Argentine actress Rita Dominic (born 1975), Nigerian actress Rita Durão (born 1976), Portuguese actress Rita Dutta Chakraborty, Bengali film and TV actress Rita Edochie, Nigerian actress Rita Flynn (1905–1973), American actress Rita Gam (1927–2016), American actress Rita Gardner (1934–2022), American actress and singer Rita Gould (1890–1981), American actress Rita Guedes (born 1972), Brazilian actress Rita W. Harlan, American actress Rita Hayek (born 1987), Lebanese actress and TV presenter Rita Hayworth (1918–1987), American actress Rita Sririta Jensen (born 1981), Thai model and actress Rita Jolivet (1884–1971), American-British actress Rita Karin (1919–1993), American actress Rita Koiral (1959–2017), Indian actress Rita La Roy (1901–1993), American actress Rita Lafontaine (1939–2016), Canadian actress Rita Livesi (born 1915), Italian film and stage actress Rita Lobo (born 1944), Indian actress and singer Rita Luna (1770–1832), Spanish stage actress Rita Macedo (1925–1993), Mexican actress Rita May (actress) (born 1942), British actress Rita Moreira (born 1944), Brazilian film director Rita Moreno (born 1931), Puerto Rican-born American actress Rita Morley (1927–1997), American actress Rita Nzelu, Nigerian actress Rita Paul (1928–2021), German actress Rita Polster (born 1948), Finnish film actress Rita Quigley (1923–2008), American actress Rita Raave (born 1951), Estonian actress Rita Ramnani (born 1981), British actress and dancer Rita Ratnayake (1934–2006), Sri Lankan Sinhala cinema actress Rita Rätsepp (born 1962), Estonian actress Rita Renoir (1934–2016), French strip-teaser and actress Rita Roland (1914–1998), American film director Rita Romilly Benson (1900–1980), American actress and acting teacher Rita Rudner (born 1956), American comedian and writer Rita Rusić (born 1960), Croatian producer, actress and singer Rita Sacchetto (1880–1959), German dancer, actress and screenwriter Rita Savagnone, Italian film actress Rita Sever (born 1963), American television hostess and actress Rita Simons (born 1977), English actress and singer Rita Taggart (born 1947), American actress Rita Tushingham (born 1942), English actress Rita Verreos (born 1968), Venezuelan TV personality, actress and model Rita Volk (born 1990), American actress Rita Walter (1951–2022), American actress Rita Webb (1904–1981), English actress Rita Wilson (born 1956), American actress, singer, and producer Rita Wolf (born 1960), British actress
In journalism and literature Rita de Acosta Lydig (1875–1929), American novelist Rita Akoto Coker, American novelist Rita Banerji, Indian author, photographer and activist Rita Barisse (1917–2001), British journalist, writer and translator Rita Boumi-Pappa (1906–1984), Greek poet, translator and writer Rita Bouvier (born 1950), Métis educator and poet Rita Bradshaw (born 1949), British romance novelist Rita Brantalou (1948–2021), French humorist Rita Braver (born 1948), American journalist Rita Mae Brown (born 1944), American writer and activist Rita Celli (born 1969), Canadian radio journalist Rita Chowdhury, Indian writer Rita Ciresi, American novelist Rita Cosby (born 1964), American journalist Rita Cox (born 1929/1930), librarian and storyteller Rita Demeester (1946–1993), Belgian poet and writer Rita Deverell (born 1945), Canadian journalist Rita Dove (born 1952), American poet Rita Clay Estrada (born 1941), romance novelist Rita Ferro (writer) (born 1955), Portuguese novelist, writer and journalist Rita Gabbai-Simantov, Greek Ladino-language poet and writer Rita Gallagher (1921–2004), American novelist Rita von Gaudecker (1879–1968), German author Rita Golden Gelman (born 1937), American writer Rita Guibert (1916–2007), American author, journalist, editor, researcher and translator Rita Ann Higgins, Irish writer Rita Joe (1932–2007), Mi’kmaq poet Rita Kelly (born 1953), Irish poet Rita Kerr (1925–2017), American author Rita Kogan, Hebrew author and translator Rita Kothari (born 1969), Indian author and translator Rita Kuczynski (born 1944), German author, philosopher and editorialist Rita Marshall (1934–2008), English journalist and editor Rita Mestokosho (born 1966), Canadian Innu writer andpoet Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli (born 1974), Italian author Rita Mulcahy (died 2010), author and public speaker Rita Mulier, Belgian feminist author and economist Rita Panahi, American-Iranian Australian opinion columnist Rita Rait-Kovaleva (1898–1988), Soviet translator and writer Rita Reif (1929–2023), American columnist and author Rita Mae Reese, American poet Rita Sebastian (died 1996), Sri Lankan journalist Rita Shell (1863–1950), British magazine editor Rita Tainola (born 1954), Finnish reporter Rita Tornborg (born 1926), Swedish novelist and short story writer Rita Vorperian, Syrian-born American journalist and writer Rita Weiman (1885–1954), American screenwriter Rita Williams-Garcia (born 1957), American writer of novels Rita Wong (born 1968), Canadian poet
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 Abrams (born 1943), American musical artist Rita Bouboulidi (1926–2014), Greek pianist Rita Brondi (1889–1941), Italian composer Rita la Cantaora (1859–1937), Spanish singer Rita Carpio (born 1965), Hong Kong Cantopop singer Rita Chiarelli, Canadian blues singer Rita Comisi (born 1985), Italian singer Rita Connolly, Irish musical artist Rita Coolidge (born 1945), American singer Rita Dakota (born 1990), stage name of Belarusian rock singer-songwriter Margarita Sergeevna Gerasimovich Rita Damásio (born 1978), Portuguese singer Rita Daniela (born 1995), Filipina singer, actress and television host Rita Deneve (1944–2018), Belgian singer Rita Dev, Hindustani classical singer Rita Engedalen (born 1971), Norwegian musician and songwriter Rita Eriksen (born 1966), Norwegian singer Rita Fornia (1878–1922), American soprano Rita Gabussi (1810–1891), Italian opera singer Rita Ganguly, Indian classical arts Rita Gorr (1926–2012), Belgian operatic mezzo-soprano Rita Guerra (born 1967), Portuguese singer Rita Guerrero (1964–2011), Mexican artist Rita Hosking (born 1969), American singer-songwriter Rita Hunter (1933–2001), British operatic dramatic soprano Rita Indiana (born 1977), Dominican writer and singer-songwriter Rita Johns, Canadian pop and rhythm and blues singer Rita Kapfhammer, German opera, operetta, concert and Lieder mezzo-soprano Rita Kassabian, Armenian composer Rita Keane (1922–2009), Irish singer and accordionist Rita Kinka (born 1962), Serbian pianist Rita Lawrence (1911–2001), British pianist and singer Rita Lee (1947–2023), Brazilian musician Rita Lynch, English singer-songwriter Rita MacNeil (1944–2013), Canadian country and folk singer Rita Marcotulli (born 1959), Italian jazz pianist and composer Rita Marley (born 1946), Jamaican singer and widow of Bob Marley Rita Mills (1935–2004), Australian musical artist Rita Montaner (1900–1958), Cuban musician Rita Montero (1927–2013), Argentine musical artist Rita Moss (1918–2015), American jazz musician Rita Ora (born 1990), British singer-songwriter Rita Orlandi-Malaspina (1937–2017), Italian operatic soprano Rita Pavone (born 1945), Italian singer Rita Payés (born 1999), Spanish jazz musician Rita Porfiris (born 1969), American violinist and arranger Rita Redshoes (born 1981), Portuguese singer-songwriter Rita Reys (1924–2013), Dutch jazz singer Rita Rose (born 1947), Indian singer and actress Rita Sakellariou (1934–1999), Greek singer Rita Shane (1936–2014), American soprano Rita Simons (born 1977), English actress and singer Rita Springer (born 1967), American Christian musician Rita Steblin (1951–2019), Canadian musicologist Rita Streich (1920–1987), operatic soprano Rita Strohl (1865–1941), French musical artist Rita Thyagarajan (born 1984), Indian singer Rita Vidaurri (1924–2019), American rehabs singer Rita Wolfensberger (1928–2020), Swiss classical pianist
In visual arts Rita Ackermann (born 1968), Hungarian-American artist Rita Angus (1908–1970), New Zealand painter Rita Asfour (1933–2021), American modern artist Rita Blitt (born 1931), American artist Rita Boley Bolaffio (1898–1995), Italian artist Rita Briansky (1925–2025), Canadian painter Rita Carvalho, Portuguese artist Rita Deanin Abbey, American artist and educator Rita Donagh (born 1939), British artist Rita Duffy, Northern Ireland artist Rita Genet, American-born artist Rita Grosse-Ruyken (born 1948), German artist Rita Keegan, American-British artist and archivist Rita Kernn-Larsen (1904–1998), Danish surrealist painter Rita Kersting, German art historian and curator Rita Letendre (1928–2021), Canadian artist Rita Longa (1912–2000), Cuban sculptor Rita McBride (born 1960), American artist and sculptor Rita McKeough, Canadian interdisciplinary artist Rita Mount (1885–1967), Canadian painter Rita Myers, American artist Rita Phillips, British sculptor and artist Rita Rohlfing, German painter, photographer and installation artist Rita Winkler (artist), Canadian artist
Fictional characters 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 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 British soap opera Coronation Street Rita or Susan White, in Educating Rita "Lovely Rita," in The Beatles song Lovely Rita on their 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
In government and politics Rita of Armenia (1278–1333), Empress of Byzantium Rita Agbo Ayim, Nigerian politician Rita Albrecht, public servant Rita Ali, mayor of Peoria, Illinois Rita Allison (born 1940), American politician Rita Aragon (born 1947), United States Air Force general Rita Atukwasa, Ugandan politician Rita Bahuguna Joshi (born 1949), Indian politician and member of parliament Rita Baranwal, Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy, USA Rita Barberá (1948–2016), Spanish politician and mayor of Valencia Rita Bellens (born 1962), Belgian politician Rita Benson LeBlanc (born 1977), former Vice Chairman of the Board of the New Orleans Saints Rita Bernardini (born 1952), Italian politician Rita Borsellino (1945–2018), Italian politician Rita Bosaho (born 1965), Spanish politician Rita Camata (born 1961), Brazilian politician Rita Campbell, American politician Rita dalla Chiesa (born 1947), Italian politician Rita Choudhary, Indian politician