Neita
Feminine
Neita is a name from the late nineteenth century, short and bright, with a spelling that can be read two ways: NAY-tuh, like vein, or NEE-tuh, like seize. Its source is one of the small mysteries of the old American record.
How old is the name Neita?
Neita first appears in US birth records in 1889 — 136 years ago. The typical Neita alive today was born around 1934, making them about 91 years old. About 200 people named Neita are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Neita most popular?
Neita peaked in 1897, reaching #1167 nationally. See the whole 1897 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Neita
Neita holds a small puzzle in its middle. English uses the letters ei for two sounds — the ay of vein, rein and eight, and the ee of seize and ceiling — so Neita can be NAY-tuh or NEE-tuh, and each family chose. The name looks like Anita with its first letter gone, but it was already being given when Anita was still rare, so it seems to have been made on its own: a quick, light name of two beats, the kind of sound the last years of the nineteenth century liked.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Neita is often assumed to be Anita without its first letter, but it appears before Anita was a common American name, so that explanation does not fit well. No other source is documented.
Pronouncing Neita
NEE-tuh
NAY-tuh is equally possible from the spelling; ask which a particular Neita used.
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1889
- Most girls named
- 193419 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1167reached in 1897
- Change vs 1960
- −44.4%5 in 1970, from 9
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Neitas among us
people named Neita are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Neita sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Short and easy to say.
- Very rare, so a Neita is unlikely to share her name.
- Carries a long history in American records.
- The ei can be read two ways, so expect a first-day mispronunciation.
- People will write Nita or Neta.
- It has no documented meaning.
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Neita
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Neitas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Neita are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Neita in 2025?
- Neita is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Neita with classmates?
- Neita will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More N names
The most-given names starting with N, all years combined.
Nancy#965 · Nicole#382 · Natalie#89 · Norma#2002 · Nora#20 · Naomi#47 · Nellie#533 · Nina#324
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Neita? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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