Markita
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "little bitter one".
Name Census estimates that about 2,344 living Americans carry the first name Markita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Markita today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Markita births was 1985 (160 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Markita. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
2.3K
~ 1 in 146,226 Americans
Peak year
1985
160 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2016 SSA rank
#15,546
Tracked since 1954
Census
Markita in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,040 people with the first name Markita, which placed it at #7,476 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#7,476
National first-name rank
People counted
2.0K
2,040 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
83.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Markita
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Markita is Black at 83.2%. The next largest groups are White (9.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Markita described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Markita at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American83.2% · 1,698
- White9.4% · 191
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 60
- Two or more races2.9% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
Popularity
Markita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Markita from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 1,043 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Markita by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Markita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Markitas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan recorded the most babies named Markita, while Arkansas, New Jersey, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 55 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Markita
The given name Markita is believed to have originated from the Spanish language, with its roots traced back to the Medieval era. The name is a feminine form derived from the Latin name Marcus, which means "dedicated to Mars," the Roman god of war.
In Spanish-speaking regions, particularly in Spain and Latin America, the name Markita was initially popularized during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. It was often given to girls born into noble or influential families, as it carried a sense of strength and resilience.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Markita can be found in the historical records of the Kingdom of Aragon, a medieval realm located in present-day Spain. In the 14th century, a noblewoman named Markita de Aragón was known for her patronage of the arts and her philanthropic endeavors.
During the 16th century, the name gained further recognition with the birth of Markita de Guzmán, a Spanish noblewoman who played a significant role in the Spanish conquest of the Americas. She accompanied her husband, the explorer Hernán Cortés, on his expeditions to Mexico and is said to have influenced the cultural exchange between the Spanish and indigenous civilizations.
In the realm of literature, the name Markita appeared in the works of renowned Spanish writers, such as Miguel de Cervantes' novel "Don Quixote," where a character named Markita is portrayed as a virtuous and loyal companion to the protagonist.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Markita:
1. Markita Casati (1881-1957), an Italian heiress and eccentric socialite known for her extravagant lifestyle and artistic patronage.
2. Markita Landau (1923-2015), an American actress and dancer who appeared in numerous Broadway productions and television shows.
3. Markita Graff (born 1952), a Swedish singer and songwriter who rose to fame in the 1970s with her hit song "Dis-Moi Pourquoi."
4. Markita Andrews (born 1986), an American professional basketball player who played in the WNBA and overseas leagues.
5. Markita Boggs (born 1986), an American singer and songwriter known for her work in the gospel and contemporary Christian music genres.
While the name Markita has its origins in Spanish and Latin cultures, it has also found use in other parts of the world, often with slight variations in spelling or pronunciation. However, its connection to the strength and resilience associated with its Latin roots has remained a consistent theme throughout its historical journey.
People
Markita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Markita as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Markita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Markita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,344 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Markita going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 146,226 US residents.
Is Markita a common name?
We classify Markita as "Rare". It ranks above 94.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,495 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Markita most popular?
The single biggest year for Markita was 1985, when 160 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Markita is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Markita in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,040 people with the name Markita, or 0.68 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,476 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Markita in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Markita?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Markita appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,047 people counted with this name, 99.4% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Markita?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Markita is Black at 83.2%. The next largest groups are White (9.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Markita most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Markita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (1,698 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Markita in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Markita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Markita in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Markita still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Markita in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Markita can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Markita?
You can see how many people have the name Markita on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.