Anita (given name)

Anita is a common given name for women. The name first developed as a Spanish diminutive of Ana, ultimately deriving from the Hebrew name Hannah, meaning "grace" or "favour". It was later adopted by English speakers in the 19th century.

Anita

Pronunciation	/əˈniːtə/ ə-NEE-tə
Gender	Female
Language(s)	Indo-European languages Language
Other names
See also	Anitha, Anne, Ana, Anna, Annette, Annie

The name and its variants are now common worldwide, especially in regions where Indo-European languages are spoken, namely Europe, South Asia, North America and South America.

People

Given name

• Anita W. Addison (1952–2004), American television and film director and producer
• Anita Álvarez de Williams (born 1931), American anthropologist, photographer, and historian
• Anita Østby (born 1972), Norwegian Liberal Party politician
• Anita Allen (pentathlete) (born 1977), American Olympic pentathlete
• Anita Alpern (1920–2006), American Internal Revenue Service official
• Anita Alvarez (politician), American government official, State's Attorney of Cook County, Illinois
• Anita Among (born 1973), Ugandan accountant, lawyer and politician
• Anita Anand (born 1972), British radio presenter, and journalist
• Anita Anand (born 1967), Canadian lawyer and current Member of Parliament currently serving as Minister of Public Services and Procurement
• Anita Andreassen, Norwegian mushing competitor
• Anita Apelthun Sæle (born 1951), Norwegian politician
• Anita Arya (born 1963), Indian politician
• Anita Asante (born 1985), British footballer
• Anita Auglend (born 1979), Norwegian singer
• Anita Augspurg (1857–1943), German lawyer, actor, writer, and feminist
• Anita B. Brody (born 1935), American judge
• Anita Bärwirth (1918–1994), German gymnast
• Anita Baker (born 1958), American R&B and soul singer and songwriter
• Anita Barone (born 1964), American actress
• Anita Berber (1899–1928), German dancer, actress, and writer
• Anita Berrizbeitia (born 1957), Venezuelan-born American landscape theorist, teacher, and writer
• Anita Best, Canadian teacher, broadcaster, and singer
• Anita Bitri-Prapaniku (1968–2004), Albanian pop singer and violinist
• Anita Björk (1923–2012), Swedish actress
• Anita K. Blair (born 1950), American military judge
• Anita Błochowiak (born 1973), Polish politician
• Anita Borg (1949–2003), American computer scientist
• Anita Bose Pfaff (born 1942), Austrian economics professor, daughter of Indian politician Subhas Chandra Bose
• Anita Brenner (1905–1974), Mexican-born writer of children's literature and books on Mexican art and history
• Anita Briem (born 1982), Icelandic actress
• Anita Brodén (born 1948), Swedish Liberal People's Party politician
• Anita Brookner CBE (1928–2016), British novelist and art historian
• Anita Bryant (born 1940), American singer
• Anita Bulath (born 1983), Hungarian handballer
• Anita Buri (born 1978), Swiss beauty pageant winner, crowned Miss Switzerland 1999
• Anita Bush (1883–1974), American stage actress and playwright
• Anita C. Hill (born 1951), American cleric
• Anita H. Callan, Canadian holistic nutritionist (born 1966)
• Anita Calvert Lebourgeoise (1879–1940), American attorney, judge, genealogist, biographer, and feminist
• Anita Caprioli (born 1973), Italian theater and film actress
• Anita Carey (born 1948), British actress
• Anita Carter (1933–1999), American country and folk singer
• Anita Caspary (1915–2011), American nun, founder of Immaculate Heart of Mary Community
• Anita Cerquetti (1931–2014), Italian dramatic soprano
• Anita Chapman (born 1952), British Paralympic archer
• Anita Christensen (born 1972), Danish professional boxer
• Anita Cobby (1959–1986), Australian nurse and beauty pageant winner
• Anita Cifra (born 1989), Hungarian handballer
• Anita Cochran (born 1967), American country singer, songwriter, and record producer
• Anita Colby (1914–1992), American actress and model
• Anita Coleman, American librarian and researcher
• Anita Conti (1899–1997), French explorer, photographer and oceanographer
• Anita Cornwell (born 1923), American gay rights advocate
• Anita Daher, Canadian writer of juvenile and teen books
• Anita Darian (1927–2015), American singer and actress
• Anita De Bauch (born 1986), British model
• Anita de Braganza (1886–1977), American socialite and heiress
• Anita DeFrantz (born 1952), American Olympic rower
• Anita De Sosoo
• Anita Delgado (1890–1962), Spanish flamenco dancer and singer
• Anita Desai (born 1937), Indian novelist and academic
• Anita Diamant (born 1951), American writer
• Anita Dobson (born 1949), British television actress
• Anita Dolly Panek (born 1930), Brazilian biochemist
• Anita Doreen Diggs (born 1966), American editor, novelist, and lecturer
• Anita Doth (born 1971), Dutch singer
• Anita Dunn (born 1958), American political consultant
• Anita Ekberg (1931–2015), Swedish model and actress
• Anita Elberse (born 1970s), American academic
• Anita Elson (1898–1985), American dancer and singer
• Anita Fernandini de Naranjo (1902–1982), Peruvian politician
• Anita Fuentes, Puerto Rican-American Christian evangelist
• Anita Finlay, American actress
• Anita Görbicz (born 1983), Hungarian handball player
• Anita Gaće (born 1983), Croatian handballer
• Anita Gale, Baroness Gale (born 1940), British politician
• Anita Galić (born 1985), Croatian freestyle swimmer
• Anita Ganeri, British writer, the Horrible Geography series
• Anita Gara (born 1983), Hungarian chess grand master
• Anita Garanča (1949-2015), Latvian singer and music teacher, mother of the famous operatic mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča
• Anita Garibaldi (1821–1849), Brazilian-born revolutionary, wife of Giuseppe Garibaldi
• Anita Garvin (1907–1994), American actress and comedian
• Anita Gershman, American film producer
• Anita Gillette (born 1936), American actress
• Anita Goel, American physicist and physician
• Anita Gradin (born 1933), Swedish politician and ambassador
• Anita Grūbe (born 1955), Latvian actress
• Anita Guha (1932–2007), Indian film actress
• Anita Gutwell (born 1931), Austrian film actress
• Anita Håkenstad (born 1968), Norwegian long-distance runner
• Anita Hagen (1931–2015), Canadian politician
• Anita Halpin (born 1944), British politician
• Anita Hamilton, American journalist
• Anita Hansbo (born 1960), Swedish mathematician and academic administrator
• Anita Harding (1952–1995), British neurologist
• Anita Harris (born 1942), British actress and singer
• Anita Hegerland (born 1961), Norwegian singer
• Anita Hegh (born 1972), Australian actor
• Anita Heiss (born 1968), Indigenous Australian writer
• Anita Hendrie (1863–1940), American actress
• Anita Hill (born 1956), American academic
• Aníta Hinriksdóttir (born 1996), Icelandic middle-distance runner
• Anita Hoffman (1942–1998), American activist and writer, wife of radical Abbie Hoffman
• Anita Howard (born 1969), American sprinter
• Anita Huffington (born 1934), American sculptor
• Anita Inder Singh, Indian international affairs analyst
• Anita Iseghohi (born 1985), Nigerian businesswoman
• Anita Jönsson (born 1947), Swedish Social Democratic politician
• Anita Johansson (figure skater) (born 1954), Swedish figure skater
• Anita Johansson (politician) (born 1944), Swedish Social Democratic politician
• Anita Jose (born 1970s), Indian-born educator and business strategist
• Anita Kanter (born 1933), American tennis player ranked in World top 10
• Anita Kanwal (born 1954), Indian television actress and producer
• Anita Kanwar, Indian film and television actor
• Anita Kazai (born 1988), Hungarian handballer
• Anita Kelsey, British singer and songwriter
• Anita Kerr (born 1927), American singer, composer, and music producer
• Anita Ellis (singer) (born 1920), Canadian-born American singer and actress
• Anita King (1884–1963), American racecar driver, actress, and thoroughbred racehorse owner
• Anita Klein (born 1960), Austrialina-born British painter and print-maker
• Anita Klemensen (born 1977), Danish chef
• Anita Kulcsár (1976–2005), Hungarian handballer
• Anita Kuhlke (born 1947), German rower
• Anita Kunz (born 1956), Canadian-born artist and illustrator
• Anita L. Allen (born 1953), American academic
• Anita Lallande (born 1949), Puerto Rican Olympic swimmer
• Anita Lane (born 1959), Australian singer and songwriter
• Anita Lasker-Wallfisch (born 1925), German-born cellist and Holocaust survivor
• Anita Leocádia Prestes (born 1936), Brazilian historian
• Anita Lerche (born 1973), Danish singer, songwriter, and composer
• Anita Lerman (born 1944), American politician
• Anita Liepiņa (born 1967), Latvian race walker and long distance runner
• Anita Linda (born 1924), Filipino film actor
• Anita Lipnicka (born 1975), Polish singer and songwriter
• Anita Lizana (1915–1994), Chilean tennis player
• Anita Lo, American chef and restaurateur
• Anita Lonsbrough MBE (born 1941), British swimmer
• Anita Loos (1889–1981), American screenwriter and playwright
• Anita Louise (1915–1970), American film actress
• Anita Louise Combe, Australian actress, singer, and dancer
• Anita Louise Suazo (born 1947), Native-American potter
• Anita Márton (born 1989), Hungarian shot putter
• Anita Madden (born 1933), American sportswoman
• Anita Malfatti (1889–1964), Brazilian artist
• Anita Mann (born 1946), American choreographer, dancer, and actress
• Anita Marks (born 1970), American football player and radio personality
• Anita Martinez (born 1925), American politician
• Anita Martini (1939–1993), American journalist
• Anita Mason (born 1942), British writer
• Anita McNaught (born 1965), British-born New Zealand journalist and television presenter
• Anita Meyer (Annita Meijer, born 1954), Dutch singer
• Anita Miller (publisher) (1926–2018), American author and publisher
• Anita Miller (field hockey) (born 1951), American field hockey player and Olympic athlete
• Anita Miller Smith (1893–1968), American impressionist and regionalist painter
• Anita Moen (born 1967), Norwegian cross-country skier
• Anita Mormand (born 1971), French sprinter
• Anita Morris (1943–1994), American actress
• Anita Mui (1963–2003), Hong Kong singer and actress
• Anita Nüssner-Kobuss (born 1935), German sprint canoeist
• Anita Nair (born 1966), Indian-born writer
• Anita Nall (born 1976), American Olympic swimmer
• Anita Neville MP (born 1942), Canadian politician
• Anita Newcomb McGee (1864–1940), American physician
• Anita North, British shooter
• Anita Nyberg (born 1940), Swedish academic
• Anita Nyman (born 1971), Finnish cross-country skier
• Anita O'Day (1919–2006), American jazz singer
• Anita de Braganza (1886–1977), American socialite and heiress
• Anita Ondine Smith (born 1974), Australian-born filmmaker
• Anita Orlund (born 1964), Norwegian Labour Party politician
• Anita Ortega, Puerto Rican basketball player
• Anita Otto (born 1942), German discus thrower
• Anita Pádár (born 1979), Hungarian footballer
• Anita Page (1910–2008), American film actress
• Anita Palermo Kelly (1913–1990), American politician
• Anita Pallenberg (1942–2017), Italian-born actress, model, and fashion designer
• Annita Pania (born 1970), Greek television hostess
• Anita Parkhurst Willcox (1892–1984), American artist, feminist, and pacifist
• Anita Peabody (1925–1934), American racehorse
• Anita Perez Ferguson (born 1949), American speaker, consultant, and writer
• Anita Perras (born 1960), Canadian country singer
• Anita Thigpen Perry (born 1952), American healthcare advocate and First Lady of Texas (2000–present)
• Anita Phillips (born 1945), Australian politician
• Anita Pistone (born 1976), Italian runner
• Anita Pointer (born 1948), American R&B/soul singer and songwriter, member of The Pointer Sisters
• Anita Pollitzer (1894–1975), American photographer
• Anita J. Prazmowska, British academic
• Anita Protti (born 1964), Swiss track and field athlete
• Anita Punt (born 1987), New Zealand field hockey player
• Anita Rachlis, Canadian AIDS researcher
• Anita Raj (born 1962), Indian actress
• Anita Ramasastry, American academic
• Anita Rani (born 1977), British radio and television presenter and journalist
• Anita Rapp (born 1977), Norwegian footballer
• Anita Ratnam (born 1954), Indian dancer and choreographer
• Anita Rau Badami (born 1961), Indian-born Canadian writer
• Anita Reeves (1948–2016), Irish actress
• Anita Renfroe (born 1962), American comedian
• Anita Roberts (1942–2006), American molecular biologist
• Anita Roddick DBE (1942–2007), British businesswoman, founder of The Body Shop
• Anita Rollin (born c. 1981), Sri. Lankan snowboarder
• Anita Sarkeesian (born 1983), Canadian-American feminist
• Anita Schätzle (born 1981), German freestyle wrestler
• Anita Selvamalar known Horse Killer in Bali
• Anita Shapira (born 1940), Israeli historian
• Anita Sheoran (born 1984), Indian freestyle wrestler
• Anita Shreve (1946–2018), American writer
• Anita Sidén (born 1940), Swedish Moderate Party politician
• Anita Silvers, American philosopher
• Anita Silvey, American editor and literary critic
• Anita Singhvi (born 1964), Indian classical singer
• Anita Skorgan (born 1958), Norwegian singer and songwriter
• Anita Smits (born 1967), Dutch archer
• Anita Snellman (1924–2006), Finnish painter
• Anita Sokołowska (born 1976), Polish actress
• Anita Stansfield (born 1961), American writer
• Anita Stewart (1895–1961), American actress and film producer
• Anita Stewart (culinary author) (born 1947), Canadian culinary writer and food activist
• Anita Strindberg (born 1937), Italian actress
• Anita Summers, American educator
• Anita Thallaug (born 1938), Norwegian actor and singer
• Anita Tijoux (born 1977), French-born Chilean hip-hop musician
• Anita Tsoy (born 1971), Russian singer
• Anita Turner (born 1972), British script editor and television producer
• Anita Ušacka (born 1952), Latvian judge and academic
• Anita Utseth (born 1966), Norwegian engineer and politician
• Anita Uwagbale (now Anita Iseghohi), Nigerian beauty queen and model
• Anita Valen (born 1968), Norwegian cyclist
• Anita Vogel (born 1969), American news reporter
• Anita Weiß (born 1955), German middle-distance runner
• Anita Włodarczyk (born 1985), Polish hammer thrower
• Anita Waage (born 1971), Norwegian footballer
• Anita Wachter (born 1967), Austrian alpine skier
• Anita Wagner (born 1960), Austrian singer
• Anita Wall (born 1940), Swedish actress
• Anita Ward (born 1957), American singer
• Anita Werner (born 1978), Polish television journalist
• Anita West (born 1935), British actress and television presenter
• Anita Weyermann (born 1977), Swiss middle-distance runner
• Anita Wood (born 1937), American television performer
• Anita Yuen (born 1971), Hong Kong actress
• Anita Zucker (born 1952), American businesswoman, first female Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company
• Gurmayum Anita Devi, Indian mountaineer
• J. Anita Stup (born 1945), American politician
• Jagat and Anita Nanjappa, Indian race-car drivers
• Princess Anita of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven-van Eijk (born 1969), Dutch royal

Characters

• Anita Blake, the protagonist of Laurell K. Hamilton's novel series Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter
• Anita (Darkstalkers), a video game character in Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge
• Anita Hailey (Shiho Miyano), a character in the manga/anime Case Closed
• Anita Santos, character on the ABC daytime drama All My Children
• Anita Barnes, a character from the film The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations played by Chantel Giacalone
• Anita Knight, from The Secret Show
• Anita Van Buren, character on the television crime drama Law & Order portrayed by S. Epatha Merkerson
• Anita, a comic book character in the works of Italian artist Guido Crepax
• Anita, a character in the musical West Side Story
• Anita Bircham, a character from Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland portrayed by Sonya Maddox
• Anita, a recurring character in the British sit-com dinnerladies (TV series)
• Anita "Needy" Lesnicki, a character in the black comedy horror film Jennifer's Body
• Anita, a girlfriend character in Need for Speed
• Anita Radcliffe, character in Disney's animated film 101 Dalmatians
• Anita, a character in the anime Hunter × Hunter episode 11
• Anita Robb, a character in the film Friday the 13th: A New Beginning played by Jere Fields
• Anita is the middle name of American Dad! character Steve Smith

See also

• Amita
• Anahita
• Annette (disambiguation)
• Anna (given name)
• Annie (given name)
• Anya
• Annika (given name)

References