Anthony
A surname from the personal name Anthony, ultimately tied to the old Roman family name Antonius.
The #618 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,602 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually from the given name Anthony, which entered English through Old French from the Latin Antonius. In medieval records, it often meant simply “son of Anthony” or “descendant of someone called Anthony.” Some older writers also linked it to Norman place-names such as St. Antoine, but the personal-name origin is the main explanation.
History
The Christian given name became common in England in the Middle Ages, helped by the popularity of St. Anthony. As a surname, Anthony appears in records as both a hereditary family name and, in some cases, a descriptive use meaning that a person was the child of an Anthony. The name later spread widely in Britain and, through migration, to North America and beyond.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root also gave rise to the shortened surname Anton and to many continental forms such as Antoine and Anton.
From the historical record
“shire. ANTHONY. The personal name ; also a parish in Cornwall. Places called St. Antoine and Antoigni occur in Nonuandy. ANTILL. Ampthill, a parish in co. Bed- ford. ANTROBUS. A township in Cheshire, the original i-esidenee of the famil}', sold by them temp. Hen. VI., but repurchased in 1S08, by Sir Edm. Antrobus.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom