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Anita

Girl name · 257 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Anita: 257 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 16 births in 1974.

Anita is a Spanish and Italian diminutive of Ana, itself a form of Hannah from the Hebrew *ḥannāh*, meaning "grace" or "favour". The name spread widely through Europe and beyond, becoming especially familiar in the English-speaking world during the mid-20th century. Its most famous bearers include the Swedish actress Anita Ekberg, whose iconic fountain scene in *La Dolce Vita* cemented her place in cinema history, and the American lawyer Anita Hill, whose 1991 testimony brought workplace harassment into public focus. The name also appears in Scottish records steadily from the 1970s onwards. A lesser-known variant, Annita, shares the same root, while the name's popularity in Latin America adds a vibrant cultural layer. Whether standing alone or as a shortened form of Anita's longer relatives, it carries a timeless, graceful quality.