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Gender Feminine
Usage Caribbean
Other Forms FormsAlfarita

Meaning & History

This name is best known for being the name of the Cuban-Jamaican singer Rita Marley (b. 1946), who was born as Alpharita Constantia Anderson. She is the widow of the Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley (1945-1981). Given that she was born in the Spanish-speaking country of Cuba, her name is most likely a variant spelling or form of Alvarita.

However, since both of her parents clearly originated from an English-speaking country (it is unclear which one - it could be Jamaica, but it could just as easily be the United States) and were thus native English speakers, it is possible that they had actually somehow been inspired by the American song "The Blue Juniata" when they named their daughter. The song features a fictional Native American girl named Alfarata, you see. Alternatively, they could have been inspired by Alpharetta, which is the name of a suburb in the American city of Atlanta. The suburb derives its name from the Native American girl in the aforementioned song "The Blue Juniata".
Added 12/12/2015 by Lucille
Edited 4/20/2021 by elbowin