NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Antony

A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "priceless" or "praiseworthy".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Antony is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Antony popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #968, with 32 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 217 births.

This profile covers 2,431 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 15% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 3,219 living people in the UK are called Antony. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Antony ranked #968 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 32 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1996, when 217 boys were registered as Antony.
  • Antony ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #390 in 2009.
  • About 3,219 living people in the UK are estimated to have Antony as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#968

2024

Births in 2024

32

Latest year

Peak year

1996

217 births

Estimated living

3,219

2026

Meaning

What does Antony mean?

The given name Antony has its origins in the ancient Roman family name Antonius. It is derived from the Latin word "Antonius" which translates to "priceless one" or "worthy of praise". The name gained popularity during the Roman era and was borne by several notable historical figures.

One of the most famous individuals with the name Antony was Mark Antony, a Roman politician and general who lived from 83 BC to 30 BC. He was a contemporary of Julius Caesar and a member of the Second Triumvirate that ruled the Roman Empire for a time. His relationship with Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt, has been widely documented and dramatized in literature and art.

In the 4th century, Antony the Great, also known as Saint Antony, was a Christian monk who lived from 251 AD to 356 AD in the Egyptian desert. He is regarded as the founder of Christian monasticism and is venerated as a saint in many Christian traditions.

During the Renaissance, the name Antony was popularized by the Italian artist and sculptor Antony Gaudí, who lived from 1852 to 1926. He is renowned for his unique and innovative architectural style, which has been widely admired and studied.

In the realm of literature, the name Antony is associated with the tragic character of Antony in William Shakespeare's play "Antony and Cleopatra", written in the early 17th century.

Another notable figure with the name Antony was Sir Antony van Dyck, a Flemish painter who lived from 1599 to 1641. He was a leading figure in the Baroque tradition and is particularly renowned for his portraits of European aristocracy and royalty.

These are just a few examples of the rich history and cultural significance associated with the given name Antony, which has been borne by influential individuals across various fields throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Antony over time

The chart below shows babies named Antony registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Antony, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 32 births in 2024, compared with 217 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Antony
054109163217199620102024

Decades

Antony by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Antony was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #920 169 5
2010s #613 601 10
2000s #330 995 10
1990s #197 666 4

Geography

Where Antony is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Antony. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Antony ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #390 in 2009.

Scotland
4
Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Antony in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#614 in 2023

48 years of NRS records, 821 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#390 in 2009

3 years of NISRA records, 9 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Antony

  • Antony Good

    cricketer

    cricketer (born 1952)

    1952-2025

  • Antony Marlow

    politician

    British politician (born 1940)

    1940-

  • Antony Speller

    politician

    British politician (1929-2013)

    1929-2013

  • Antony Corri

    composer

    Scottish composer

    1784-1832

Related

Names similar to Antony

FAQ

Antony: questions and answers

How popular is the name Antony in the UK right now?

In 2024, Antony was ranked #968 for boys in England and Wales, with 32 births registered.

When was Antony most popular?

The peak year on record was 1996, with 217 babies registered as Antony in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Antony?

A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "priceless" or "praiseworthy".

How many people are called Antony in the UK?

A total of 2,431 babies have been registered as Antony across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 821 more in Scotland and 9 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Antony most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Antony ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #390 in 2009. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.