Charita
A feminine name derived from the Sanskrit word meaning "grace" or "virtue".
Name Census estimates that about 1,241 living Americans carry the first name Charita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Charita today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Charita births was 1981 (65 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Charita. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 276,192 Americans
Peak year
1981
65 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
2009 SSA rank
#17,867
Tracked since 1941
Popularity
Charita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Charita from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 473 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Charita by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Charita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Charitas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Charita, while Florida, Alabama, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Charita
The name Charita has its origins in Sanskrit, one of the oldest languages of the Indian subcontinent, dating back several millennia. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "chara," meaning "moving" or "wandering," and is often associated with the concept of a spiritual or philosophical journey.
In ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, such as the Vedas and the Upanishads, the name Charita can be found in various contexts, often referring to individuals who embarked on a quest for spiritual enlightenment or self-discovery. Some scholars have also linked the name to the concept of "charitra," which means "character" or "conduct" in Sanskrit.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Charita can be traced back to the 6th century BCE in the epic poem Mahabharata. In this ancient text, Charita is mentioned as the name of a sage who imparted wisdom and guidance to the Pandava princes during their period of exile.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Charita. For example, Charita Krishnammachary (1899-1992) was an Indian philosopher and scholar who made significant contributions to the field of Advaita Vedanta, a branch of Hindu philosophy.
Another prominent figure was Charita Mishra (1918-2007), an Indian freedom fighter and social activist who played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement and worked tirelessly for the empowerment of women and marginalized communities.
In the realm of literature, Charita Bhattacharya (1923-2005) was a renowned Bengali writer and novelist who explored themes of human relationships, societal norms, and the complexities of the human experience in her works.
Charita Sahu (1924-2002) was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who dedicated her life to preserving and promoting the traditional dance forms of Odissi and Chhau. Her contributions to the cultural heritage of India were widely recognized and celebrated.
Charita Majumdar (1930-2022) was a distinguished Indian scientist and academic who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics. She was the first woman to be appointed as the director of the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kolkata.
These are just a few examples of individuals who bore the name Charita throughout history, each leaving a lasting impact in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human culture and knowledge.
People
Charita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Charita as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Charita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Charita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,241 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Charita going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 276,192 US residents.
Is Charita a common name?
We classify Charita as "Rare". It ranks above 91.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,406 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Charita most popular?
The single biggest year for Charita was 1981, when 65 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Charita is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Charita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Charita in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.