Renita
A feminine name from Spanish meaning "born again" or "reborn."
Name Census estimates that about 6,191 living Americans carry the first name Renita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Renita today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Renita births was 1960 (313 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Renita. 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
6.2K
~ 1 in 55,363 Americans
Peak year
1960
313 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
2019 SSA rank
#12,213
Tracked since 1925
Popularity
Renita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Renita from the 1920s through to the 2010s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 2,399 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Renita 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 Renita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Renitas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 31 states and territories. Illinois, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Renita, while Wisconsin, New Jersey, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 166 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Renita
The name Renita is a feminine given name derived from the French language. It is believed to have originated as a diminutive form of the name Reine, which means "queen" in French. The name Reine itself is derived from the Latin word "regina," which also means "queen."
The earliest recorded use of the name Renita dates back to the 19th century in France. It was likely a name given to young girls as a affectionate form of the more formal name Reine, reflecting a desire to bestow a sense of royalty or regality upon the child.
One of the earliest notable individuals recorded with the name Renita was Renita Boissier, a French artist and painter born in 1842. She was known for her vibrant still-life paintings and landscapes, and her work was exhibited at several notable art exhibitions in Paris during the late 19th century.
In the early 20th century, Renita Holm was a Swedish-American actress and singer who appeared in several films and stage productions in the 1920s and 1930s. She was born in 1892 and was known for her roles in popular musicals of the time.
Another individual of historical significance with the name Renita was Renita Fritsch-Estienne, a German-born French painter and engraver who lived from 1865 to 1939. She was a member of the Société des Artistes Français and exhibited her works at the prestigious Salon des Artistes Français in Paris.
In the literary world, Renita Weems was an American author and scholar, born in 1953, who wrote extensively on topics related to women's studies, African American studies, and biblical interpretation. Her works, such as "Just a Sister Away" and "Battered Love," explored themes of gender, race, and spirituality.
Renita Rodrigo was a Sri Lankan sculptor and artist who lived from 1928 to 2017. She was known for her bronze and terracotta sculptures, many of which depicted scenes from Sri Lankan daily life and folklore. Her works were exhibited both nationally and internationally, and she was recognized as one of Sri Lanka's most prominent modern artists.
While the name Renita has its roots in French language and culture, it has since been adopted and used in various parts of the world, likely due to its melodic and regal sound. However, its use remains relatively uncommon compared to more popular feminine names from the same linguistic origins.
People
Renita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Renita as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Renita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Renita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6,191 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Renita 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 55,363 US residents.
Is Renita a common name?
We classify Renita as "Rare". It ranks above 96.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7,398 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Renita most popular?
The single biggest year for Renita was 1960, when 313 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Renita is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Renita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Renita 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.