Anthony

Anthony, also spelled Antony, is a masculine given name derived from the ''Antonii'', a ''gens'' (Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, a son of Heracles. Anthony is an English name that is in use in many countries. It has been among the top 100 most popular male baby names in the United States since the late 19th century and has been among the top 100 male baby names between 1998 and 2018 in many countries including Canada, Australia, England, Ireland and Scotland.

Equivalents include ''Antonio'' in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Maltese; ''Αντώνιος'' in Greek; ''António'' or ''Antônio'' in Portuguese; ''Antoni'' in Catalan, Polish, and Slovene; ''Anton'' in Dutch, Galician, German, Icelandic, Romanian, Russian, and Scandinavian languages; ''Antoine'' in French; ''Antal'' in Hungarian; and ''Antun'' or ''Ante'' in Croatian. The usual abbreviated form is Tony or Toni (sometimes Tone, Ant, Anth or Anton). Its use as a Christian name was due to the veneration of Saint Anthony the Great, the founder of Christian monasticism, particularly in Egypt. Also significant, in Roman Catholicism, has been the later cult of Saint Anthony of Padua.

In the United States, it was the 43rd most popular male name in 2021, according to the Social Security Administration. When the background is Italian, Nino or Toni, shortened from ''Antonino'', are used. Its popularity in the United Kingdom peaked during the 1940s; in 1944 it was the sixth most popular male name and was still as high as 14th in 1964. Provided by Wikipedia