Rita’s Notebook: Personalized Journal for Rita
Rita's Notebook is a lined journal with one name on the cover, hers. The name sits in flowing script above a soft pink watercolor apple blossom design.
- 160 lined pages
- 6" x 9" paperback
- Watercolor apple blossom cover with "Rita's Notebook" on the front
- Printed and shipped by Amazon
The meaning of Rita
Rita started as a short form of Margherita and other names ending in -rita, Behind the Name explains. Wikipedia agrees that it is often a name in its own right but mostly a shortened version of Margarita. The best-known early bearer was Saint Rita of Cascia, born Margherita Ferri Lotti in 1381, an Italian widow who became an Augustinian nun and was known for the power of her prayers. Pope Leo XIII canonized her in 1900.
Nicknames for Rita
Rita is already a nickname, so it belongs to the big family of Margaret. Behind the Name lists Greta as an Italian variant and gives cousins across Europe, from Margarita and Margarida to the Finnish Reeta and Reetta and the Dutch Greet. Two of the most famous Ritas went back to the long form at birth: Saint Rita was born Margherita and Rita Hayworth was born Margarita.
Famous Ritas
Rita Hayworth, born Margarita Carmen Cansino, appeared in 61 films over 38 years, was nicknamed “The Love Goddess”, and is best known for Gilda (1946). Rita Moreno, with a career spanning eight decades, is one of the few performers to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. And poet Rita Dove won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1987 and was the first African American appointed poet laureate consultant to the Library of Congress, serving from 1993 to 1995.
How popular is Rita?
Rita had a long, steady run in America. US Social Security data has it 74th in the 1910s and at its best rank, 49th, in the 1920s. It stayed between 49th and 73rd from the 1920s to the 1950s, and its biggest decade by count was the 1950s, when more than 60,000 American girls were named Rita. It fell to 125th in the 1960s and then left the top 200.
Fun facts about the name Rita
Saint Rita has an unusual title. Wikipedia says that at her canonization she was named “Patroness of Impossible Causes”, and her feast day is celebrated on May 22. She is often shown with a wound on her forehead, understood as a partial stigmata.
Rita gift ideas
- For a May birthday. Saint Rita’s feast day is May 22.
- For a dancer. Rehearsal notes, in honor of Rita Hayworth and Rita Moreno.
- For a poet. Drafts and favorite lines, for a name shared with Rita Dove.
- For someone chasing a big goal. A journal for impossible plans, from the patroness of impossible causes.
Who it’s for and ways to use it
This is a notebook for every kind of Rita: the student, the list-maker, the diary keeper, the busy mom. Its 160 lined pages and 6" x 9" format suit daily journaling, study, meal plans, goals or gratitude notes. Plain lines mean no rules about how to use it. Her name on the front makes it easy to spot on a crowded desk.
Why a name on the cover matters
Notebooks tend to multiply on desks and in drawers. One with Rita’s name on the front is instantly hers: easy to spot, harder to “borrow”, and more personal than a plain cover. For children especially, seeing their own name on something makes it special and encourages them to actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
How big is Rita’s Notebook? The notebook measures 6 x 9 inches (roughly 15 x 23 cm) and has 160 lined pages.
Where do I buy it? Use the buttons on this page to find it on Amazon in the US, Australia and the UK. Amazon handles printing, shipping and returns.
Do you have other names? Yes. We publish hundreds of girls’ name notebooks with the same cover design. See our personalized name notebooks page or browse all name notebooks.
View Rita's Notebook on Amazon
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