Looking for a floral name that’s more subtle than Lily, rarer than Rose?
Thanks to Fran for suggesting one option: the botanical Anthea.
Flora is clearly all about the blooms, what with the Roman goddess and the Latin root. Anthea is far less well known, but her story is similar.
The Greek anthos means blossom or flower. As for a goddess link, Hera, Queen of the Greek pantheon, answered to Hera Antheia – Hera of the Flowers.
There’s a second mythological connection. The Kharites, or Three Graces, were minor deities charged with life’s pleasures. Their names vary, and occasionally their number is greater than three. In at least some uses, Antheia appears as a goddess in her own right.
Seventeenth century English poet Robert Herrick is best known for the opening line to another poem: “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.” He also dedicated poems to women named Corinna and Anthea. His “To Anthea, who may command him Anything” puts a poetic, dramatic spin on the name.
Anthea has never charted in the US Top 1000, and to an American ear, she remains a decidedly British-sounding appellation. Other uses that might ring a bell include:
- Agatha Christie used the name for one of the three sisters in her 1971 Miss Marple novel Nemesis. The sisters are Lavinia and Clothilde and there’s also a niece called Verity;
- David Bowie played The Man Who Fell to Earth in a 1976 adaptation of an earlier sci fi novel about an alien from the planet Anthea;
- Anthea Turner hosted a show called The Perfect Housewife on BBC Three from 2006 through 2007. As host, she visited chaotically-kept homes and ensured the lady (or man) of the house acquired the skills to keep things shipshape. Turner is more television presenter than English Martha Stewart. Other gigs have included everything from hosting a children’s show to appearing on Celebrity Big Brother;
- In the UK, Channel 4’s successful teen drama Skins replaces their entire cast when the kids graduate – a foreign concept in the land of Gossip Girl and 90210 – but during the first two seasons, one of the main characters had a mum who answered to Anthea.
- Beginning in 1900, Edith Nesbit created a series of stories, which grew into a novel and then a trilogy, titled Five Children and It. The “It” is a bad news fairy called Psammead. The five children are siblings named Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and baby brother Hilary. Anthea answers to the nickname Panther.
At least in the US, none of these associations feel so strong as to overwhelm the name. Anthea feels like a wearable rarity. Her pronunciation is straightforward, and there are nicknames aplenty: Annie, Thea, Tea.
Anthea also has some weight to her. Like Minerva or Renata, she’s not a simple, pretty name. It makes her sound smart, but might also make her feel less fashionable than the current group of girls called Olivia, Mia, and Lily. Then again, not so long ago, Sophia and Isabella seemed out of step, too.
I like Anthea a lot– it may be a new addition to my favorites list. Althea is lovely, too. I’d also love to see a baby Athena (actually an anagram of Anthea!).
There was a loud, boorish and bossy Anthea at the area school I attended although she was called “Ants” much of the time. Her name always fascinated me and I admit to big name envy. It’s very pleasant and I’d like to run across it here in NZ again.
This prompted me to look her up and there’s bucketloads of them here. I didn’t expect that.
That’s a surprise. I’ve never met one … wonder if there’s a minor television character I’m missing?
A good chunk of them are in their mid 40’s too. It’s going to bug me like Fleur. There seemed to be a blip of them here 30+ years ago and I can’t explain why.
I love Anthea (and to a lesser extent, Althea). My other half said it was “too English”and “too snobby”. But I really lobbied hard for Josie to be Anthea. I got the Anne in there anyway, but still, I pine for Anthea. Love her to pieces!
I love love love this name! Have ever since I read E. Nesbit’s “Five Children and It”, which is the only place I’ve heard the name other than name books.
My husband thinks it sounds odd, however, and hard to remember. So our daughter is Evangeline instead.
I’m not so sure Anthea’s pronunciation is straightforward. I guessed correctly, but as it’s so uncommon I wasn’t sure if I had ever heard it pronounced and my other guesses included AN-thee-ah, ahn-THEH-ah, an-THEH-ah…
This is such a gorgeous name, but the pronunciation is tripping me up too! I love an-THEE-ah, but most British people seem to say AN-thee-ah? Which then sounds too much like “anthem” for me?
Anthea is pretty. Anthea, Althea, Alethea, and Athena make up a lovely, under-appreciated family of sound-alikes — all with fabulous meanings, too. Wonder why no one is using them.
My pastor used Alethea on his second daughter (his other children are Matteo and Keilani). I think Alethea’s really pretty, almost too pretty for my taste, but for some reason I have a hard time wrapping my tongue around Anthea. I keep wanting to change it to “anthem” or “and–hia”
I adore Alethea, though I think it is a lot of name.
I love Anthea! It’s so fresh and mellifluous.
I’m also fond of Althea.
I like Anthea and the nn Thea. I do think of Anthea Turner instantly (I saw the BNotD and “Turner” followed in my head without skipping a beat). But that’s just because it’s the only person on whom I ever really heard the name. It’s like Andrea, which I like, but without the pronunciation issues and it is less 80s sounding and more old-fashioned feeling (in a good way).
Scratch that, I’ve just found Louisa! Could I ask for Anna and Elizabeth then please?
I really like Anthea, particularly as you can shorten it to ‘Thea’, which I think is so pretty. I like Athena as well, though that might be harder to pull off?
Just so you know, Skins is a show on Channel 4 in England, though I believe it was broadcast on BBC America, which may explain your error 🙂 Not that it matters of course, it’s only because I’m a big fan of the programme!
Could I please request Anna and Louisa as names of the day? Thank you!
Thank you for the catch, Emma. Fixing it now … and yes, it is on BBC America. 🙂