UK girl's name
Sita
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "furrow" or "fortunate".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Sita is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Sita popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4056, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1997, with 6 births.
This profile covers 90 England and Wales registrations across 23 recorded years from 1996 to 2023. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 83% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 89 living people in the UK are called Sita. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Sita ranked #4056 for girls in England and Wales in 2023, with 5 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1997, when 6 girls were registered as Sita.
- • About 89 living people in the UK are estimated to have Sita as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4056
2023
Births in 2023
5
Latest year
Peak year
1997
6 births
Estimated living
89
2026
Meaning
What does Sita mean?
The name Sita originated from Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language prevalent in the Indian subcontinent. It is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word "sītā," meaning "furrow" or "the Sanskrit feminine of sīta," referring to a phrase meaning "respectful." The name's roots can be traced back to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, composed between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE.
In the Ramayana, Sita is the central female character and the beloved wife of Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu. She is revered as an embodiment of wifely devotion, courage, and virtue. The story of Sita's abduction by the demon king Ravana and her subsequent rescue by Rama is a pivotal event in the epic, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sita can be found in the Ramayana itself, where she is described as the daughter of King Janaka of Mithila (present-day Nepal). Throughout Hindu mythology and literature, Sita is portrayed as a symbol of purity, loyalty, and sacrifice, making her name a popular choice among Hindu families.
Over the centuries, several notable historical figures have borne the name Sita. One of the earliest known was Sita Devi, the wife of the 15th-century Hindu philosopher and social reformer Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534). Another prominent figure was Sita Ram (1723-1810), an Indian poet and playwright who made significant contributions to the Braj Bhasha literature.
In more recent times, Sita Narasimha Sastri (1859-1919) was a renowned Indian scholar and Sanskrit grammarian who authored several works on Vedic literature. Sita Anantha Raman (1904-2000) was an Indian freedom fighter and social activist who worked tirelessly for the upliftment of women and the underprivileged.
Sita Parrikar (1926-2022) was an Indian author and social worker who played a crucial role in the Goan independence movement. Sita Bhatiya (1933-2018) was a noted Bangladeshi novelist, playwright, and short story writer who explored themes of social injustice and women's rights in her works.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Sita over time
The chart below shows babies named Sita registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Sita, the clearest high point is 1997. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2023, compared with 6 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sita by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Sita was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4391 | 14 | 3 |
| 2010s | #5167 | 29 | 8 |
| 2000s | #4007 | 31 | 8 |
| 1990s | #3312 | 16 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Sita
- Sophie 103,803
- Sophia 46,936
- Scarlett 34,261
- Sienna 32,418
- Sofia 29,136
- Sarah 27,961
- Shannon 25,510
- Summer 24,167
- Sara 14,205
- Skye 13,654
- Samantha 12,697
- Stephanie 9,309
FAQ
Sita: questions and answers
How popular is the name Sita in the UK right now?
In 2023, Sita was ranked #4056 for girls in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.
When was Sita most popular?
The peak year on record was 1997, with 6 babies registered as Sita in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Sita?
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "furrow" or "fortunate".
How many people are called Sita in the UK?
A total of 90 babies have been registered as Sita across the 23 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.