Last Name Origin?

Question

Hey, my last name is being changed to 'Anthony', and I tried searching online but am still confused on the origin of it. Would it be an English or an Italian last name? Thanks. =)

Answer 1

UK answer.

Surname: Anthony

This noble and distinguished surname originates from "Antonius", an ancient Roman clan name which is believed to translate as "praiseworthy" or "priceless". Marcus Antonius circa 83 - 30 B.C., friend to Caesar, and lover of the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, was the most notable member of the clan. The surname developed in the medieval period, being first recorded in England in the 13th century, see below, and now world-wide has developed into over one hundred individual spellings. Examples of these spellings range from Antony, Anthoine, Anton and Antona, to Antoinet, Antonelli, Antognoli, and Antuk, and the patronymics such as Antunez, D'Antoni, Antoons, Antonssen, Antonov, and Antonwicz. The great popularity of the original baptismal name throughout Christendom, is largely due to two saints. The first being St. Anthony of Egypt (c251 to 331), founder of monasticism in the 4th Century, and the second, St. Anthony of Padua (1195 - 1231), who became a favoured disciple of St. Francis of Assisi. His learning and eloquence was so great that he is said to have drawn a congregation of fishes to raise their heads out of the sea and listen to him breathlessly! Amongst the earliest examples of the surname recording are those of William Antony, who was recorded in the tax charters of the county of Suffolk, England, in the year 1306, whilst in Germany in 1527 Schultheis Anthonius was recorded as being the Stadtschreiber (Town clerk) for the city of Kassel. The first recorded spelling of the family name in any country is probably that of John Antoyne, which was dated 1275, in the charters of the county of Worcester, England.Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

http://www.surnamedb.com/



Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Anthony    

Last name origins & meanings:

English: from the personal name Anthony, Latin Antonius. See also Anton. This, with its variants, cognates, and derivatives, is one of the commonest European personal names. Many of the European forms have been absorbed into this spelling as American family names; for the forms, see Hanks and Hodges 1988. Spellings with -h-, which first appear in English in the 16th century and in French (as Anthoine) at about the same time, are due to the erroneous belief that the name derives from Greek anthos ‘flower’. The popularity of the personal name in Christendom is largely due to the cult of the Egyptian hermit St. Anthony (ad 251–356), who in his old age gathered a community of hermits around him, and for that reason is regarded by some as the founder of monasticism. It was further increased by the fame of St. Anthony of Padua (1195–1231), who long enjoyed a great popular cult and who is believed to help people find lost things.

South Indian: this is only a given name in India, but has come to be used as a family name among Christians from South India in the U.S.

John Anthony of Hampstead, Middlesex, England (now part of north London) migrated to Boston, MA, in 1634. By 1640 he had moved to Providence, RI, where his descendants are still established.

Answer 3

'Anthony' without a doubt would be English, why on earth would a very anglicized name like that be Italian?