Given name
Arethea
“one who is virtuous; excellent”
Arethea is a variant of Aretha. One Greek interpretation is “one who is virtuous; excellent.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Arethea is a variant of Aretha. One Greek interpretation is “one who is virtuous; excellent.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Arethea is a variant of Aretha. An origin associated with Aretha is Greek.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1960. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Arethea through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 28
- 0 boys · 28 girls
- Most popular year
- 1968
- 7 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 1972. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 7 in 1968.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Arethea’s family of names
Arethea has a related form in Aretha.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Arethea, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Alethea
“one who is truthful”
>99% girls
Angelia
“messenger” · “a heavenly messenger; an angel”
>99% girls
Alesia
“noble” · “kind”
>99% girls
Arcelia
“from the altar of heaven”
>99% girls
Annamaria
“filled with bitter grace”
>99% girls
Angelita
“messenger” · “a heavenly messenger; an angel”
>99% girls
Annemarie
“filled with bitter grace”
>99% girls
Adelita
“of the nobility; serene; of good humor”
>99% girls