A diminutive of Henrietta or Loretta, used as an independent name meaning 'pearl' or 'home ruler.'
Retta is a name that wears its origins lightly, functioning primarily as an affectionate short form of longer names ending in *-retta*: Henrietta (from the French feminine of Henri, itself from the Germanic *heimric*, meaning "home ruler"), Loretta (a diminutive of Laura, from the Latin *laurus*, the laurel), and Concetta (an Italian name honoring the Immaculate Conception). As a standalone given name, Retta was popular in the American South during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, where short, warm diminutive-style names were often registered as formal given names rather than nicknames.
The double-t in Retta gives it a slightly Italian or Southern European feel — a crispness that distinguishes it from the softer Reta or Rita. It shares rhythmic kinship with Netta, Betta, and Letta, all part of a family of compact, affectionate names that were particularly well-loved in communities where Italian immigration intersected with American naming traditions, as well as in Scots-Irish Appalachian communities with their own tradition of musical, diminutive feminine names. In contemporary culture, Retta is perhaps best known as the stage name of Marietta Sangai Sirleaf, the American comedian and actress known for her role as Donna Meagle on NBC's *Parks and Recreation* — a character whose warm, wry humor gave the name a new generation of associations. That visibility has nudged Retta back onto the radar of parents interested in short, lively names that feel both vintage and vivid without the current trendiness of similar-sounding names like Etta or Wren.