Antonius

Antonius is a masculine given name of Latin origin that appeared in ancient Rome and persisted in Latin literature and Christian texts. In the Roman world, Antonius was the nomen of the gens Antonia, a plebeian family from which several political and military figures arose.

The exact etymology is uncertain; scholars generally treat Antonius as an old Latin name with no widely agreed meaning. Through the ages, Antonius gave rise to a wide family of related names in Europe, including Anthony and Antony in English, Antonio in Italian and Spanish, Antoine in French, and Antoni in various languages.

Notable bearers include Marcus Antonius, better known as Mark Antony, a key figure in the late Roman Republic. The form Antoninus, derived from Antonius, was adopted as a cognomen by later Roman emperors and used by saints in Western Christian tradition. The Latin form Antonius remains the basis for the Latin name of Saint Anthony, especially in scholastic and liturgical usage; the best known modern saint is Saint Anthony of Padua.

In modern times, Antonius survives as a given name and sometimes as a surname in Dutch and German contexts; vernacular forms include Antoni in Polish, Antonio in Italian and Spanish, Antoine in French, and Anthony or Antony in English.