Anthony

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Anthony
Marcus Antonius marble bust in the Vatican Museums.jpg
Mark Antony
Pronunciation UK: /ˈæntəni/ , US: /ˈænθəni/ [1]
GenderMale
Language English
Origin
Languages Latin, possibly from Etruscan
Word/name Antonius
Other names
Alternative spelling
Variant forms
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 often regarded as the first Christian monk. The later saint Anthony of Padua also contributed to its diffusion. [2]

Contents

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]

Spelling and pronunciation

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]

Translations and variants

People

Fictional characters

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education. ISBN   978-1-4058-8118-0.
  2. 1 2 Withycombe, E. G. (1977). The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names (3rd ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 28. ISBN   0-19-869124-6.
  3. ↑ "Popular Baby Names". Ssa.gov. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  4. ↑ "Anthony - Meaning And Origin Of The Name Anthony". BabyNames.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-03-02. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
  5. ↑ Wells, John C. (1990). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow, England: Longman. p. 30. ISBN   0-582-05383-8. entry "Anthony"
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