Anthony

Anthony

Mark Antony
Pronunciation	UK: /ˈæntəni/, US: /ˈænθəni/1
Gender	Male
Language	English
Origin
Languages	Latin, possibly from Etruscan
Word/name	Antonius
Other names
Alternative spelling	Anthoni Anthonie Anthoney
Variant forms	Antony Antonio Anton Antonis Antoine Antun Ante Anto Toni Tony Tonino
Pet forms	Ant, Anton, Antonino, Nino, Toni, Tony, Tone, Toño

Anthony, also spelled Antony, is a masculine given name derived from the Antonii, a Roman gens or clan that famously included Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius). The ultimate etymology of the name is unknown. Its popularity as a given name is largely due to the fame of Anthony the Great, an Egyptian hermit and saint who is regarded as the first monk. The later saint Anthony of Padua also contributed to its diffusion.²

Equivalents include Antoine in French; Antonio in Italian and Spanish; António or Antônio in Portuguese; Anton in Dutch, German, Romanian, Russian, and the Scandinavian languages; Αντώνιος in Greek; Antal in Hungarian; Antoni in Polish and Slovene; and Antun or Ante in Croatian. English pet forms include Tony and Ant.

In the United States, it was the 43rd most popular male name in 2021, according to the Social Security Administration.³ Its popularity in the United Kingdom peaked during the 1940s; in 1944 it was the sixth most popular male name, and it was still as high as 14th in 1964.⁴

The name was historically spelled Antony, as in William Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra. The unetymological "h" was added in the 16th century, on the assumption that the name derived from the Greek word ἄνθος (anthos), meaning "flower".² In Britain, the historical pronunciation /ˈæntəni/ predominates for both spellings, while in the United States the spelling pronunciation /ˈænθəni/ is more common when the "Anthony" spelling is used.⁵