Rita is a common female first name, often a name in its own right, but mostly a shortened version of Margarita. The following are notable people with the name Rita.
In film, television and theater
Rita Hayworth (1918–1987), American actress
Rita Moreno (b. 1931), Puerto Rican-born American actress
Rita Raave (born 1951). Estonian actress
Rita Rudner (b. 1956), American comedian and writer
Rita Simons (b. 1977), English actress and singer
Rita Tushingham (b. 1942), English actress
Rita Wilson (b. 1956), American actress and producer
In journalism and literature
Rita Mae Brown (b. 1944), American writer and activist
Rita Cosby (b. 1964), American journalist
Rita Deverell (b. 1945), Canadian journalist
Rita Dove (b. 1952), American poet
Rita Clay Estrada (b. 1941), romance novelist
Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984), stage name of Rita Thyagarajan, an Indian playback singer
Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962), stage name of Rita Yahan-Farouz Kleinstein, Persian-born Israeli singer and actress
Rita (Japanese singer), Japanese voice actress, singer, and lyricist
Rita Abatzi (1914–1969), Greek singer
Rita Coolidge (b. 1945), American singer
Rita Gorr (b. 1926), Belgian operatic mezzo-soprano
Rita Guerra (b. 1967), Portuguese singer
Rita Hosking (b. 1969), American singer-songwriter
Rita Hunter (1933-2001), British operatic dramatic soprano
Rita Kassabian, Armenian composer
Rita Lee (b. 1947), Brazilian musician
Rita MacNeil (b. 1944), Canadian country and folk singer
Rita Marley (b. 1946), Jamaican singer and widow of Bob Marley
Rita Ora (b. 1990), British singer-songwriter
Rita Pavone (b. 1945), Italian singer
Rita Reys (b. 1924), Dutch jazz singer
Rita Sakellariou (1934–1999), Greek singer
Rita Simons (b. 1977), English actress and singer
Rita Steblin (b. 1951), Canadian musicologist
Rita Streich (1920–1987), operatic soprano
Rita Angus (1908–1970), New Zealand painter
Rita Donagh (b. 1939), British artist
Rita (Cypher), in the film Cypher
Rita, in the franchise Jungledyret Hugo
Rita Mordio, in Tales of Vesperia
Rita Bennett, in the TV series Dexter
Rita Hanson, in the film Groundhog Day (as well as the musical of the same name)
Rita Repulsa, a villain in the TV series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Rita Skeeter, in the Harry Potter franchise
Rita Stapleton, in the TV series The Guiding Light
Rita Sullivan, in the TV series Coronation Street
Rita or Susan White, in Educating Rita
Rita, a Saluki dog in Disney film Oliver & Company
Rita, a female cat in the show Animaniacs
MOK, a dictatorial teacher based on the real teacher with the same name (see above), portrayed extensively in a highly successful student play from Hong Kong
In government and politics
Rita of Armenia (1278–1333), Empress of Byzantium
Rita Barberá (b. 1948), Spanish politician and mayor of Valencia
Rita Fan (b. 1945), Hong Kong politician
Rita Johnston (b. 1935), Canadian politician
Rita Lau (b. 1953), retired Hong Kong senior government official
Rita Potts Parks (born 1962), American politician
Rita Süssmuth (b. 1937), German politician
Rita Verdonk (b. 1955), Dutch politician
Rita Crockett (b. 1957), American volleyball player
Rita Drávucz (b. 1980), Hungarian water polo player
Rita Jeptoo (born 1981), Kenyan marathon runner
Rita Tamašauskaitė (b. 1941), Lithuanian rower
Adam Rita (born 1947), Canadian Football League executive and former coach
Jani Rita (born 1981), Finnish ice hockey player
Rita of Cascia (1381–1457), Italian Augustinian saint
Rita Atria (1974–1992), Italian anti-Mafia witness
Rita R. Colwell (b. 1934), environmental microbiologist
Rita Jenrette (b. 1949), former wife of disgraced U.S. Representative John Jenrette, posed for Playboy magazine
Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909–2012), Italian-American neurologist
Rita de Acosta Lydig (1875–1929), American socialite
Rita (given name) Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA
