🔥Anthony

An-tun-ee or An-thun-ee

Latin

"from Antium"

Anthony Origin and Meaning

The name Anthony is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "from Antium".

Substantial, strong, and enduring, Anthony has remained a perennially popular name over the last century. With just a hint of playfulness and just a touch of clunky-coolness, Anthony is a versatile choice that seems comfortable anywhere.

The name is derived from the Roman family name “Antonii” or “Antonius”, whose most prominent member was Mark Antony. A general, a joint ruler of the Roman Empire, and the lover of Cleopatra, Mark Antony was immortalized in the work of Shakespeare.

The meaning of Anthony however, remains unknown and contested. One possibility is that it means “from Antium”, an ancient coastal town in the South of Rome. Alternatively, with the addition of the ‘H’ in the 17th century, it was speculated that it derived from the Greek word Anthos meaning “flower.”

Just as the meaning is contested, so is the pronunciation. In England, it is typically said as Antony, regardless of the spelling, whereas in the US, if the ‘H’ is there, then it’s enunciated.

The name was popularized in the Christian world in honor of St. Anthony the Great, patron saint of the poor and the founder of Christian monkhood. Since then, it has remained a popular choice in the US, remaining in the Top 30 names for boys from the 1950’s through into late 2010’s.

Recent years have seen Anthony fall out of favor, most notably in France, the UK, and Poland, but it remains a solid contender for parents in the US, where it is given to over 6000 boys every year.

With such a long history and stretch of popularity, Anthony has plenty of notable namesakes – though many use short forms of the name. Well-known bearers include prolific Victorian writer Anthony Trollope; actors Anthony Hopkins, Anthony Boyle, and Anthony Quinn; former British prime minister Tony Blair; skateboarder Tony Hawk, singers Tony Bennett and Anthony Kiedis; and television presenter Ant McPartlin.

In fiction, Anthony has been notably used for Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, and Anthony J. Crowley in the book and TV series “Good Omens.”

If you do love Anthony then, you are certainly not alone, and excitingly, there are plenty of brilliant variants to explore. A small selection includes Antonio, Anton, and Andoni for boys, and Antonella and Antonia for girls.

Otherwise, for names like Anthony but without the same levels of popularity, you could consider Cassius, Zachariah, Augustine, Marcel, Maximillian, or Valentine.

Anthony Popularity

• 44 US 2022
• 200 Nameberry 2024
• 202 England 2021
• 182 Scotland 2023
• 91 Ireland 2022
• 95 Australia 2015
• 424 Germany 2016
• 11 Brazil 2023
• 83 Canada 2022
• 232 Mexico 2021