Boy · Latin · International · Christian
Anthony
AnthonySay it AN-thuh-nee (also AN-tuh-nee)
- Meaning today
- Priceless, praiseworthy, flourishing
- Original meaning
- "Roman family name Antonius; origin unknown" Lewis & Short, s.v. Antonius
- Say it
- AN-thuh-nee (also AN-tuh-nee)
- Other spellings
- Antony, Antonio, Anton
Anthony
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Anthony meaning
Anthony is an international and Christian boy's name of Latin origin.
Meaning today
Priceless, praiseworthy, flourishing
Original Latin meaning
"Roman family name Antonius; origin unknown"
Source: Lewis & Short, A Latin Dictionary (1879), s.v. Antonius · entry Antōnĭus · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Anthony comes from Antonius, the name of a Roman family. Lewis & Short record it only as a gens name, borne by Mark Antony among others, and give no meaning. The popular glosses "priceless" and "praiseworthy" do not appear in the dictionaries; the Online Etymology Dictionary explains that the h was added later by confusion with Greek anthos, "flower". The name spread through Saint Anthony the Great, the Egyptian hermit, and Saint Anthony of Padua, the Franciscan friar invoked for lost things, whose feast is widely kept in Goa, Mumbai and Kerala. It is one of the three names in the title of the Hindi film Amar Akbar Anthony (1977).
References: Lewis & Short, Antonius (Logeion) · Online Etymology Dictionary, Anthony · Britannica, St. Anthony of Padua · Wikipedia, Amar Akbar Anthony
Famous namesakes
- Saint Anthony of Padua, Franciscan friar
- Mark Antony, Roman general
Popularity abroad
- #46 United States, boys 2025 (down 2 from 44 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #239 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Anthony · Antony · Antonio · Anton