Given name & surname · also Spanish, Native American
Nita
“resembling a bear”·“God is giving”·“having grace”
Nita is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “resembling a bear”, “God is giving”, and “having grace”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “resembling a bear”, “God is giving”, and “having grace”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Native American, Spanish, and Hebrew naming traditions.
How it developed
Nita is a short form of Marganita.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Nita through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 14,268
- 0 boys · 14,268 girls
- Most popular year
- 1956
- 403 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #12,827 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −32%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 12,827 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 32.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 403 in 1956. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 10,378 as a first name in 2020; 352 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Nita’s family of names
Nita is a short form of Marganita. In English usage, Nita is a shortened form of Anita. Nita has a related form in Neeta.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Anitafull form · English
- Neatavariant
- Neetavariant
- Neatahvariant
- Nytahvariant
- Neetahvariant
- Nytavariant
- Nitahvariant
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Spellings & scripts 2
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.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Nita
- Nita AmbaniIndian philanthropist and businesswomanborn 1963
- Nita NaldiAmerican actress (1895–1961)1894–1961
- Nita LoweyAmerican politician (1937–2025)
- Nita StraussAmerican guitaristborn 1986
- Nita TalbotAmerican actor (b. 1930)
- Nita BarrowBGovernor-General of Barbados1916–1995
- Nita EnglundAmerican ski jumperborn 1992
- Nita BieberAmerican actress (1926-2019)
- Nita CostaBrazilian politician1907–1963
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nita, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Chenia
“one who lives within the grace of God”
>99% girls
Ionanna
“filled with grace”
>99% girls
Chiyena
“blessed with the Lord's grace”
>99% girls
Lirit
“one who is musically talented” · “having musical grace”
5% boys · 95% girls
Asenka
“woman with grace”
>99% girls
Eskama
“one who shows mercy”
>99% girls
Speranza
“filled with hope”
19% boys · 81% girls
Nadine
“one who is full of hope”
>99% girls