Given name & surname
Anthea
“lady of the flowers”
Anthea is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “lady of the flowers.”
Original Ancient GreekἌνθη
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “lady of the flowers.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
In English usage, Anthea developed from Ἄνθη.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1932. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Anthea through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 839
- 0 boys · 839 girls
- Most popular year
- 1990
- 20 babies
- 2025
- 9
- #10,179 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −7%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 9 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 10,179 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 6.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 20 in 1990. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,210 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Anthea’s family of names
In English usage, Anthea developed from the Ancient Greek form Ἄνθη. Anthea has a related form in Anthia. Anthea has a related form in Antha.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Anthea
- Anthea Stewartfield hockey playerborn 1944
- Anthea McIntyreBritish politician (born 1954)
- Anthea BellEnglish translator (1936-2018)
- Anthea HamiltonBritish artist (born 1978)
- Anthea TurnerEnglish television presenter and media personalityborn 1960
- Anthea PhillippsBritish botanist based in Sabah, Malaysiaborn 1956
- Anthea SylbertAmerican costume designer (1939–2024)
- Anthea AskeyBritish actress (1933-1999)
- Anthea ComelliniESA astronautborn 1992
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Anthea, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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