Show ContentsAnthony History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

During the times when surnames first began to be used in this region, a common way to create a surname was to use the given name of the father. Such names are classed as patronymic surnames. Anthony was created from the given name Antonius, which in English is known in the forms Anthony and Antony. The given name Antonius means inestimable or strength. The Anthony family surname has its roots in the ancient Roman period and possibly earlier, in the Etruscan period. The most famous member of this family is Marc Antony (Marcus Antonius), the famous Roman general, politician and orator born in 83 B.C. Antony was of a distinguished family related to Julius Caesar. After Caesar's assassination Antony aroused the masses against the conspirators who murdered his relative and patron. Perhaps the most memorable aspect of his life was his love affair with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. The tragic end of this couple has been the subject of much literature, including one of Shakespeare's plays.

Early History of the Anthony family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Anthony research. The years 1355, 1372, 1374, 1430, 1540, 1617, 1643, 1668, 1684, 1697, 1700, 1725, 1726 and 1732 are included under the topic Early Anthony History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Anthony Spelling Variations

In comparison with other European surnames, Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms. They reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each with its own distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the typical Italian surname suffix is "i", whereas in Southern Italy it is "o". Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes and church officials often spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. The spelling variations in the name Anthony include Antony, Anthony, Antni, Antnia, Antnio, Antoni, Antonia, Antonio, De Antoni, Di Antonio, Antonèllo, D'Antonio, Antonello, Antonelli, Antonetti, Antonetto, Antonietti, Antonazzi, Antonazzo, Antoniutti, Antonioli, Antuoni, Antonino, Antonicelli, Antonucci, Antognini, Antognetti, Antognoli, Toni, Tony, Tonelli, Tonicello, Tonello, Tonino, Tonini, Tonizzo, Tonolli and many more.

Early Notables of the Anthony family

Prominent among members of the family was Antonia of Baux (c. 1355-1374), the second Queen consort of Frederick III, King of Sicily (1372-1374.) Antonio de Messina, was a painter in Messina, born in 1430. He specialized in still life, his most famous work is "St. Jerome in His Study" which is on display in the art gallery in London England today. Silvio Antonio was a humanist scholar born in...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Anthony Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Anthony World Ranking

In the United States, the name Anthony is the 528th most popular surname with an estimated 54,714 people with that name. 1 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Anthony is ranked the 213rd most popular surname with an estimated 201 people with that name. 2 And in Australia, the name Anthony is the 711st popular surname with an estimated 5,521 people with that name. 3 South Africa ranks Anthony as 788th with 8,753 people. 4


United States Anthony migration to the United States +

Early records show that people bearing the name Anthony arrived in North America quite early:

Anthony Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Anthony, who landed in Virginia in 1624 5
  • John Anthony, who arrived in New England in 1633 5
  • John Anthony, who arrived in Portsmouth in 1634 5
  • John Anthony, who arrived in Rhode Island in 1634 5
  • Andrew Anthony, who landed in Virginia in 1637 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Anthony Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Mark Anthony, who landed in Virginia in 1700 5
  • Paul Anthony, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1741 5
  • Johannes Anthony, aged 32, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1741 5
  • Johannes Anthony, age 32, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1741
  • Nicholas Anthony, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1750 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Anthony Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Anthony, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1811 5
  • F J Anthony, who landed in Texas in 1836 5
  • Angello Anthony, who arrived in Mobile County, Ala in 1840 5
  • George Anthony, who arrived in Mississippi in 1844 5
  • Samuel Anthony, who landed in New York in 1847 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Anthony migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Anthony Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Matthew Anthony, who settled in Scilly Cove, Newfoundland in 1706 6
  • Henry Anthony, who settled in Port de Grave, Newfoundland in 1803 but his family were settled with property before 1723 6
  • John Anthony, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1760
  • Mary Anthony, who settled in Cupids, Newfoundland in 1770 6
  • Mr. Joseph Anthony, U.E., United Empire Loyalist, who settled in Canada c. 1783 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Anthony Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Australia Anthony migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Anthony Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Anthony, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
  • Mr. William Anthony, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • James Anthony, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10
  • Mr. William Anthony, (b. 1813), aged 19, English labourer who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "England"on 31st March 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
  • James H. Anthony, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "South Australian" in 1837 12
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Anthony migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Anthony Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • J. R. Anthony, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th August 1859 13
  • Mr. Alexander Anthony, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 14
  • Mrs. Anthony, Scottish settler with 2 children travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 14
  • Mrs. Bridget Anthony, (b. 1818), aged 46, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 13
  • Mr. John Anthony, (b. 1818), aged 46, British carpenter travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Anthony migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 15
Anthony Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Henry Anthony, aged 19, who arrived in Barbados aboard the ship "Expedition" in 1635 16
  • Mr. Henry Anthony, (b. 1616), aged 19, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 17
  • Edward Anthony, who arrived in Barbados in 1687

Contemporary Notables of the name Anthony (post 1700) +

  • Oliver Anthony (b. 1992), American country singer/songwriter, known for his single "Rich Men North of Richmond" which reached number 1 on the US iTunes chart in August 2023
  • Ole Anthony (1938-2021), American minister, religious investigator and satirist
  • Ryan Anthony (1969-2020), American trumpet player, best known for his work with the Canadian Brass
  • Daniel Read Anthony Jr., (1870-1931), American Republican politician
  • Daniel Read Anthony (1824-1904), American publisher and abolitionist; father to Daniel Read Anthony, Jr
  • Charles Anthony (1798-1862), American politician, businessman
  • Barbara Blair Cox Anthony (1922-2007), American co-heiress to Cox Enterprises, Inc. is a privately held American media conglomerate based in Atlanta
  • Florence Anthony (1947-2010), American poet and educator
  • Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906), American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women's rights movement
  • Piers Anthony (b. 1934), American writer in the science fiction and fantasy genres
  • ... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Kenneth Anthony (1921-1943), British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse and survived the sinking, but was later a prisoner of war and died in 1943 18
Prince of Wales colliery
  • Mr. David Anthony (b. 1862), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 19
Senghenydd colliery
  • Mr. George David Anthony (b. 1896), Welsh coal miner from Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Glenn Samuel Anthony, American Seaman First Class from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 20


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  3. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  4. "Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  7. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
  10. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
  12. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The SOUTH AUSTRALIAN 1837-1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837SouthAustralian.htm
  13. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  16. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  17. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  18. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  19. Entombed in flood and flame (retrieved 3rd August 2021). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20120603025705/http://www.crosskeys.me.uk/history/prince.htm
  20. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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