Given name & surname

Anthony

“a flourishing man; from an ancient Roman family”

Anthony is used as a given name and a surname. One Latin interpretation is “a flourishing man; from an ancient Roman family.” Its derivation is not certain.

Original LatinAntonius

Meaning & origin

What it means

One Latin interpretation is “a flourishing man; from an ancient Roman family.” Its derivation is not certain.

Where it comes from

A possible origin is Latin, although the derivation remains uncertain.

How it developed

From Latin Antōnius.

Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Anthony through the years

Babies since 1880
1,495,156
1,488,042 boys · 7,114 girls
Most popular year
1990
25,188 babies
2025
5,977
#46 for boys · #9,515 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20
−23%
Easing
05,00010K15K18801900192019401960198020002025Highest share 19873,493
Anthony in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1880–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

Where it’s given

Most at home inRhode Island, Delaware, District of Columbia
FewerMore, relative to births Not published
2025 births by state of birth. Tiles are equal-sized so small states stay visible. Highest rates: Rhode Island (32), Delaware (28), District of Columbia (22), New Jersey (327), Connecticut (102).

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 5,967 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 46 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 23.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 25,088 in 1990. It also appeared in 10 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (819). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,075,181 as a first name in 2020; 52,156 as a surname in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Anthony’s family of names

In English usage, Anthony has a diminutive in Tony. Anthony shares a linguistic root with Antonio. In English usage, Anthony has a conventional equivalent in the French form Antoine.

Walk Anthony’s family in the name graph

AnthonyAntonioTonyAntonAntonyAntoniAntoninoAntoneToneAnthanyAntoniusAntoninAnthoneyTonioAntoneyAntoniaAntoineToniAntwanAntwonAntoniosAntjuanAnthonAnteAndoniAntoAntonisToninoAntoonNdueAntonoAntanasAntoniuAntuneAnttoAnttonTxantonAntoninusAnhun

Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Around the world

Anthony has relatives in 45 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.

HawaiianGreenlandicPortugueseEnglishLatinEstonianGujaratiBengaliChinese

Latinwhere Anthony comes from · 1 name

Each dot marks where a language is rooted, not where people with the name live today. Bigger dots hold more names. Dots on the border stand for languages further away. Language locations from Glottolog (CC BY 4.0); map from Natural Earth.

See also 1

Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.

Similar names

If you love Anthony, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Greek · Timeless

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“conqueror” · “one who is victorious; the champion”

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Greek · Mythological

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Gaelic · Saints

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Patrick

“patrician” · “a nobleman; patrician”

70CommonEasing

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Latin · Literary

Justin

“one who is just and upright”

70CommonEasing

>99% boys

Roman · Classical

Marcus

“dedicated to Mars, the god of war”

69FamiliarEasing

>99% boys

Sibling ideas

Names that share Anthony’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.