From Greek 'althainein' meaning to heal. Also a botanical name for the marshmallow plant.
Althea is a classical name with unusually lovely roots. It comes from Greek, usually linked to althein or althos, words associated with healing, remedy, and wholesomeness. In mythology, Althaea was the mother of Meleager, which gives the name an ancient literary pedigree even before it entered English.
It also brushes against the world of healing plants: the marshmallow plant bore related classical names, reinforcing the sense that Althea belongs to the old vocabulary of cure and care. Few names manage to sound so airy while carrying such a substantial classical inheritance. Its cultural life in English has been rich.
The 17th-century poet Richard Lovelace used it memorably in "To Althea, from Prison," giving the name a lyrical, almost emblematic quality, and later readers encountered it as a name of refinement and poetic melancholy. In modern history, the most famous bearer is surely Althea Gibson, the groundbreaking American tennis champion who shattered racial barriers in the sport and gave the name courage, excellence, and unmistakable public dignity. That pairing of poetic grace and athletic force has helped Althea age beautifully.
It has never been as common as Emma or Elizabeth, which has preserved some of its rarity, but it has remained intelligible and admired. Over time, the name has moved from classical-literary elegance to a broader sense of poised strength. It suggests someone cultivated, but not fragile; antique, but not dusty. Althea is one of those names whose old meaning still feels alive in the modern ear.