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

Antonius, 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 Antonius surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Antonius in America

Antonius is the 133048th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Antonius surname appeared 127 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Antonius.

The history of the last name Antonius

The surname Antonius originated from the ancient Roman family name Antonius, which was derived from the praenomen (personal name) Antonius. The name is believed to have its roots in the Latin word "ante," meaning "before" or "in front of." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to the firstborn son or the one who came before others.

The Antonius family was one of the most prominent and influential families in ancient Rome. They were a branch of the gens Antonia, a patrician family that traced its lineage back to the founding of Rome. The Antonii were known for their military prowess and political influence, producing several notable figures throughout Roman history.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Antonius can be found in the writings of Roman historian Livy, who mentioned a Roman consul named Quintus Antonius Merenda in the 4th century BC. Another early reference is Marcus Antonius, a Roman general and politician who lived from 83 BC to 30 BC and was a key figure in the Roman civil wars following the assassination of Julius Caesar.

During the Middle Ages, the name Antonius continued to be used, particularly in Italy and other regions with strong Roman influences. In the 12th century, the Antonii family emerged as a prominent noble family in Padua, Italy, and their name was often recorded in official documents and historical chronicles of that period.

One notable bearer of the surname Antonius was Pietro Antonius (1448-1530), an Italian humanist scholar and diplomat who served as a secretary to several popes and played a significant role in the cultural and intellectual life of Renaissance Italy.

Another prominent figure was Girolamo Antonius (1492-1564), an Italian jurist and legal scholar who held the position of professor of civil law at the University of Padua and contributed significantly to the development of legal studies in the 16th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Antonius spread beyond Italy to other parts of Europe, particularly in regions with strong Catholic influence, such as Spain and France. One notable bearer of the name was François Antonius (1586-1644), a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.

In the 18th century, the name Antonius appeared in various spellings, such as Antonie, Antoine, and Antony, reflecting regional linguistic variations. One prominent figure from this period was Johann Antonie (1726-1798), a German philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on moral philosophy and the nature of human freedom.

By the 19th century, the surname Antonius had become more widely dispersed across Europe and even beyond, with various families bearing the name in countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, and the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Antonius

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

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 Antonius 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.

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 Antonius was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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