May vs Rita
May and Ritacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2019, May was ranked #424 and Rita #424 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2024, May was ranked #435 and Rita #473 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, May was ranked #610 and Rita #625 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, May was ranked #718 and Rita #718 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
May and Rita over time
May and Rita appear together in 3 published lists, across 135 years of shared records. May held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Rita in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
May reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Rita in 1. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
May and Rita changed places 4 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #610 and #625.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 78 shared years in Norway · Girls, May and Rita averaged 57.6 places apart, ending at #435 and #473.
- Longest-running competitions
May and Rita were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 78 years, from 1945 to 2024, ending at #435 and #473.
List by list
Norway · Girls78 shared years, 1945–2024
May held the stronger position in 62 of those years, Rita in 16.
Highest recorded here: May #24 in 1956, Rita #25 in 1963.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: May #435, Rita #473.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
May held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Rita in 2.
Highest recorded here: May #325 in 2007, Rita #573 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: May #610, Rita #625.
Republic of Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1967–2025
May held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Rita in 12.
Highest recorded here: May #262 in 2023, Rita #87 in 1967.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: May #718, Rita #718.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | May | Rita |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #481 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #718 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- May has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Rita.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO.
How each name got here
May
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #43 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #24 among girls in Norway, in 1956 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #481 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Rita
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #116 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2024
Highest recorded position: #25 among girls in Norway, in 1963 (recorded 1945–2024).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #718 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls