Rita

Rita is a common female first name, often a name in its own right, but mostly a shortened version of either Rachel or Margaret. The name may refer to:

Locations

• Rita, an island community in Majuro Atoll of the Marshall Islands

Weather

• Hurricane Rita
• Tropical Storm Rita, the name of several storms

Media and entertainment

• Rita, by Rita Guerra
• RITA Award, an award for romantic fiction
• Rita and Runt, a recurring segment in the TV series Animaniacs

People

• Rita (singer), Japanese voice actress, singer, and lyricist
• Rita of Cascia (1381-1457), Italian Augustinian saint
• Rita Mae Brown (b. 1944), American writer and activist
• Rita R. Colwell (b. 1934), environmental microbiologist
• Rita Coolidge (b. 1945), American singer
• Rita Cosby (b. 1964), American journalist
• Rita Crockett (b. 1957), American volleyball player
• Rita Deverell (b. 1945), Canadian journalist
• Rita Donagh (b. 1939), British artist
• Rita Dove (b. 1952), American poet
• Rita Drávucz (b. 1980), Hungarian water polo player
• Rita Clay Estrada (b. 1941), romance novelist
• Rita Guerra (b. 1967), Portuguese singer
• Rita Hayworth (1918–1987), American actress
• Rita Johnston (b. 1935), Canadian politician
• Rita Kalmbach, Canadian politician
• Rita Kleinstein (b.1962), Israeli singer and actress
• Rita Lee (b. 1947), Brazilian musician
• Rita Levi-Montalcini (b. 1909), Italian-American neurologist
• Rita Marley (b. 1946), Jamaican singer and widow of Bob Marley
• Rita Moreno (b. 1931), Puerto Rican actress
• Rita Rudner (b. 1956), American comedian and writer
• Rita Tushingham (b. 1942), English actress
• Rita Verdonk (b. 1955), Dutch politician
• Rita Wilson (b. 1956), American actress and producer

Fictional characters

• Rita (Cypher), a character in the film Cypher
• Rita Repulsa, a villain in the TV series Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
• Rita Skeeter, a character in the Harry Potter franchise
• Rita Stapleton, a character in the TV series The Guiding Light
• Rita Sullivan, a character in the TV series Coronation Street
• Rita, a character in the franchise Jungledyret Hugo
• Rita Mordio, a character in Tales of Vesperia.
• Rita or Susan White, a character in Educating Rita.

Other meanings

• Rita (genus), a genus of catfishes
• 1180 Rita, an asteroid
• Rita - Queen of Speed, a roller coaster
• RIT Ambulance, an emergency medical services organization
• Research and Innovative Technology Administration, research programs agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation
• Resistance Inside the Army, a protest movement

See also

As a given name, Rita may be short for:

• Margarita
• Margherita
• Rachel