From the Roman family name Antonius, possibly meaning 'priceless' or 'praiseworthy.'
Antony derives from the ancient Roman family name Antonius, a patrician gens whose origins remain intriguingly murky — possibly Etruscan, possibly connected to the Greek anthos meaning flower, though neither etymology is firmly established. The Romans themselves were unconcerned with the mystery; the name was simply Antonius, worn by senators and soldiers alike. The 'h' that appears in the modern spelling Anthony is a later Renaissance-era addition, a spurious attempt to link the name to Greek, and the older spelling Antony preserves something closer to the authentic Latin original.
The name's towering historical colossus is Marcus Antonius — Mark Antony — the Roman general and statesman whose alliance with Julius Caesar, rivalry with Octavian, and consuming love affair with Cleopatra became one of antiquity's defining dramas. Shakespeare immortalized him in both Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra, giving him lines of extraordinary power: "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears." That theatrical legacy has kept the name charged with associations of passion, oratory, and tragic grandeur for four centuries.
Over time Anthony became the dominant English spelling, while Antony persisted as a more classical or literary variant — favored by parents who want a quieter elegance, a nod to Rome without the softening 'h.' It has been borne by Saint Anthony of Padua, one of the most beloved Catholic saints; by Anthony Burgess and Anthony Trollope in English letters; and by countless others across Europe and the Americas. Its enduring appeal lies in that balance of Roman solidity and Shakespearean romance.