Find out how popular the last name Anthony is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Anthony.

Anthony, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Anthony surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Anthony in America

Anthony is the 618th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Anthony surname appeared 55,114 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 19 people would have the surname Anthony.

We can also compare 2010 data for Anthony to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Anthony

The surname Anthony has its origins in ancient Rome, derived from the Roman family name Antonius. This name is believed to have originated from the Latin word "Antoanus," which means "priceless" or "invaluable." The Antonius family was a prominent patrician family in ancient Rome, and several notable figures bore this name, including the famed Roman general and statesman Marcus Antonius.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Anthony can be found in medieval English and Norman records, where it appeared as "Antony" or "Auntenye." These variations likely emerged due to the influence of Norman French on the English language after the Norman Conquest in 1066. During this period, many people adopted surnames derived from their given names or those of their ancestors.

In the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership in England completed in 1086, there are several entries referring to individuals with the surname Anthony or its variants. For example, a landholder named "Antone" is mentioned in the records for Lincolnshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Anthony was Roger Antony, a 13th-century landowner from Gloucestershire, England. Another notable figure from the same period was John Antony, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who served as the city's mayor in 1275.

Over the centuries, the surname Anthony has been associated with several prominent individuals across various fields. For example, Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) was a pioneering American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Mark Antony (83-30 BC), the Roman politician and general, was a key figure in the final days of the Roman Republic.

Other famous individuals with the surname Anthony include:

1. Marc Anthony (born 1968), an American singer and actor of Puerto Rican descent.
2. Piers Anthony (born 1934), an English-American author known for his fantasy novels, particularly the Xanth series.
3. Joseph Anthony (1912-1993), an American artist and illustrator renowned for his paintings of the American West.
4. John Anthony (1586-1655), an English Puritan minister and theologian who played a significant role in the English Reformation.
5. Basil Anthony (1927-2019), an Indian-born American philosopher and academic who specialized in the philosophy of mind and epistemology.

While the surname Anthony has its roots in ancient Rome, it has since become widely dispersed across various cultures and regions, with bearers of the name contributing to diverse fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Anthony

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Anthony.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Anthony was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Anthony has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Anthony was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Anthony, please contact us.

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