Rita is a female given name, often a name in its own right, but mostly a shortened version of Margarita. The feast day of Rita is generally celebrated on May 22 in honor of Saint Rita of Cascia.
In media and entertainment
In film, television and theater
Rita Avila, Filipina actress
Rita Bell (1893-1992), American singer, entertainer
Rita Camarneiro (born 1988), Portuguese comedian and TV presenter
Rita Christiani (1917–2008), Trinidad-born African-American dancer
Rita Hayworth (1918–1987), American actress
Rita Sririta Jensen (born 1981), Thai model and actress
Rita Moreno (born 1931), Puerto Rican-born American actress
Rita Raave (born 1951), Estonian actress
Rita Ratnayake (1934–2006), Sri Lankan Sinhala cinema actress
Rita Rätsepp (born 1962), Estonian actress
Rita Romilly Benson (1900 – 1980), American actress and acting teacher
Rita Rudner (born 1956), American comedian and writer
Rita Simons (born 1977), English actress and singer
Rita Tushingham (born 1942), English actress
Rita Wilson (born 1956), American actress, singer, and producer
In journalism and literature
Rita Mae Brown (born 1944), American writer and activist
Rita Cosby (born 1964), American journalist
Rita Deverell (born 1945), Canadian journalist
Rita Dove (born 1952), American poet
Rita Clay Estrada (born 1941), romance novelist
Rita Panahi, American-Iranian Australian opinion columnist
Rita Sebastian (died 1996), Sri Lankan journalist
In music
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 (born 1945), American singer Rita Daniela (born 1995), Filipina singer, actress and television host Rita Gorr (1926–2012), Belgian operatic mezzo-soprano Rita Guerra (born 1967), Portuguese singer Rita Hosking (born 1969), American singer-songwriter Rita Hunter (1933–2001), British operatic dramatic soprano Rita Kassabian, Armenian composer Rita Lee (1947–2023), Brazilian musician Rita MacNeil (1944–2013), Canadian country and folk singer Rita Marley (born 1946), Jamaican singer and widow of Bob Marley Rita Ora (born 1990), British singer-songwriter Rita Pavone (born 1945), Italian singer Rita Reys (1924–2013), Dutch jazz singer Rita Sakellariou (1934–1999), Greek singer Rita Simons (born 1977), English actress and singer Rita Steblin (1951–2019), Canadian musicologist Rita Streich (1920–1987), operatic soprano
In visual arts
Rita Angus (1908–1970), New Zealand painter
Rita Donagh (born 1939), British artist
Fictional characters
Rita, a female cat in the show Animaniacs
Rita, in the franchise Jungledyret Hugo
Rita, a Saluki dog in Disney film Oliver & Company
Rita Bennett, in the TV series Dexter and the novels by Jeff Lindsay on which the series is based Rita Desjardin, from the book Carrie Rita Foster, in the film Cypher Rita Hanson, in the film Groundhog Day (as well as the musical of the same name) Rita Loud, in the TV series The Loud House Rita Malone, a female rat in the film Flushed Away Rita Mordio, in Tales of Vesperia 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 British soap opera Coronation Street Rita or Susan White, in Educating Rita Rita, the Cardcaptors name for the Cardcaptor Sakura character Rika Sasaki Rita Torres, in the TV series Exosquad Rita, a little girl in the series Jelly Jamm Rita, the head girl in the first books of the series The Naughtiest Girl