Given name & surname
Marita
“star of the sea”·“from the sea of bitterness”
Marita is a variant of Mary. Interpretations include “star of the sea” and “from the sea of bitterness”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Marita is a variant of Mary. Interpretations include “star of the sea” and “from the sea of bitterness”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Spanish use, Marita is used as an affectionate form of Maria.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1901. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Marita through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,088
- 0 boys · 5,088 girls
- Most popular year
- 1954
- 125 babies
- 2025
- 17
- #6,732 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −2%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 17 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 6,732 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 1.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 125 in 1954. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,506 as a first name in 2020; 100 as a surname in 2010.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Marita’s family of names
In Finnish usage, Marita is a diminutive of Maria. In Swedish usage, Marita has a later derivative in MARIITTA. Marita has a related form in Mary.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Marita has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its Norwegian roots to each of them.
6 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Marita
- Marita KochEast German sprint track and field athlete (born 1957)
- Marita PayneCanadian track and field athleteborn 1960
- Marita LangeEast German shot putter1943–2025
- Marita LindahlMiss World 1957 (1938–2017)
- Marita Camacho QuirósFirst Lady of Costa Rica (1962–1966), supercentenarian1911–2025
- Marita PetersenPrime Minister of the Faroe Islands (1940-2001)
- Marita SandigEast German rowerborn 1958
- Marita UlvskogSwedish politicianborn 1951
- Marita LorenzGerman who had affair with Fidel Castro (1939–2019)
Characters named Marita: Marita Covarrubias (the X-Files franchise).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Marita, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Maribeth
“star of the sea” · “from the sea of bitterness”
>99% girls
Marylu
“star of the sea” · “from the sea of bitterness”
>99% girls
Maryjo
“star of the sea” · “from the sea of bitterness”
>99% girls
Marybeth
“star of the sea” · “from the sea of bitterness”
>99% girls
Applegarth
“apple tree”
—
Meryl
“resembling a blackbird” · “of the shining sea”
>99% girls
Marylou
“star of the sea” · “from the sea of bitterness”
>99% girls
Merryl
“of the shining sea”
>99% girls