Rietta
Diminutive of Margaret, a feminine name meaning "pearl".
Name Census estimates that about 19 living Americans carry the first name Rietta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rietta today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rietta births was 1959 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rietta. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Rietta is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Riettas were born before 1969.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rietta. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
19
~ 1 in 18,039,702 Americans
Peak year
1959
7 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1978 SSA rank
#11,030
Tracked since 1942
Popularity
Rietta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rietta from the 1940s through to the 1970s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1940s peak, Rietta remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rietta 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 Rietta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rietta
The name Rietta is believed to have its origins in the Italian language. It is a feminine diminutive form of the name Rita, which itself is derived from the Latin name Margarita, meaning "pearl."
In the Middle Ages, the name Rita gained popularity in Italy due to the veneration of Saint Rita of Cascia, a 15th-century Italian widow and Augustinian nun known for her piety and miracles. She is the patron saint of impossible causes, and her name became a popular choice for Italian parents seeking the protection and guidance of this revered saint.
The earliest recorded use of the name Rietta can be traced back to the 16th century in Italy, where it was often used as a diminutive or nickname for Rita. One of the earliest known bearers of the name Rietta was Rietta Navaroli, an Italian noblewoman born in 1525 in Naples.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Rietta. One such figure was Rietta Renata di Borbone (1609-1678), an Italian princess who was a member of the House of Bourbon and the daughter of Vincenzo I Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua.
Another notable bearer of the name was Rietta Anna Phillipina Jacoba de Ranitz (1703-1788), a Dutch painter and engraver who was active in the 18th century and is known for her portraits and engravings of historical figures.
In the 19th century, Rietta Geyer (1811-1889) was a prominent German writer and novelist who published several works, including the novel "Die Grafin Chateaubriand" (The Countess of Chateaubriand).
More recently, Rietta Josephine Ball (1868-1943) was an American educator and suffragist from Maryland, who advocated for women's rights and played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in the early 20th century.
Another notable bearer of the name was Rietta Wallene Crayton (1939-2014), an American jazz singer and pianist who was active in the 1960s and 1970s and recorded several albums during her career.
While the name Rietta has its roots in Italian culture and history, it has since been adopted and used in various parts of the world, particularly in Europe and North America, although it remains a relatively uncommon name.
People
Rietta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rietta 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
Rietta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rietta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 19 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rietta 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 18,039,702 US residents.
Is Rietta a common name?
We classify Rietta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 28 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rietta most popular?
The single biggest year for Rietta was 1959, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rietta is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rietta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rietta 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.