When looking up nicknames for Anthony, parents often default to the nickname Tony, but there are so many others out there to choose from.
It’s truly incredible just how many nicknames for Anthony you can find, which is great as it makes the name easy to mold to your personal preferences.
At first glance, by simply separating the name Anthony into Ant and Tony, you already have two easy ones, the latter being more popular thanks to all the iconic gangster and mafia movies of the last century.
In fact, they’re what gave the rise to its popularity in modern times, though its history reaches far beyond that of “The Godfather” movies; all the way back to Ancient Rome in fact!
It’s quite an old name, which has many different iterations depending on the language in question, and it is beautiful in every single one.
So, what makes this baby name so interesting despite it being such a common name, and what other fancy nicknames for it are there? Read on to discover all this and more!
Anthony – Name Meaning And Origin
The Anthony name reaches far back into history, all the way back to Ancient Rome and the famous general Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony), with the name’s meaning being relatively unknown for a long time.
Some speculate that it may tie to the Latin word for ‘priceless one’ or ‘of inestimable worth’, but that’s still up for debate.
In the 17th century, however, some began comparing the name to the Greek word Anthos, which translates to ‘flower’.
Whichever is true is largely relevant, though, as they’re both really lovely meanings, especially when it comes to baby names.
Your child is priceless after all, and you nurture him like the delicate and beautiful flower he is.
Although the name has been quite popular throughout history, it took a dip in the last few centuries until a resurgence in the 20th thanks to the Godfather movies and other gangster classics like Goodfellas.
Nowadays, according to the babynames website, it sits at around #96 for global baby name lists, whereas it’s a solid #41 on the popularity charts, making it one of the more popular baby boy names out there.
91 Top Nicknames For Anthony
Whether you’re going for the Roman family name of Antony, the Italian (or Spanish) Antonio, or the French Antoine, you can’t go too far wrong, and all the excellent nickname options you have to choose from should work for all these wonderful names.
Popular nicknames for Anthony
I always like to start with the most popular options when it comes to nicknames for children because it helps parents to see the best ones first.
There are plenty more to choose from after these for mamas looking for something a bit more out there!
Nevertheless, there’s a reason certain boy nicknames are more popular than others, and going along with the flow isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Here are some of the most common nicknames for anthony:
1. Ant
2. Antwan
3. Antin
4. Antonius
5. Twan
6. Nino
7. Thanos
8. Anth
9. Tony Hawk
10. Tony Stark
11. Antonii
12. Big Tuna
13. An-Toney
14. Little Anthony
15. Iron Man
16. Antoine
17. Antonin
18. Antóin
19. Tony
20. Antony
21. Antonio
Cool nicknames for Anthony
Everyone wants to be seen as cool at some point in their lives, and a cool nickname is a really great way to get things going.
Names are powerful tools after all, and nicknames are no different.
They have the power to change one’s perception of a person if used under the right circumstances.
With that in mind, here are some of the coolest nicknames out there for your little dude:
1. T-Rex
2. Ant-Man
3. King Tony
4. Tee
5. Tim
6. T-Cunning
7. Tone
8. Actor
9. Aunt Tony
10. AJ
11. Tone-Tone
12. Anton
13. Thunderbirds
14. Tiger Ton
15. T-Bag
16. Mara-Thony
17. Niel
18. Nat
19. Anakin
20. Toine-Solo
21. Thones
Cute nicknames for Anthony
When thinking of a child, the first thing that comes to mind is ‘cuteness’, so it’s only natural that parents would want a cute nickname to bestow upon their bundle of joy.
Alternatively, some of these can be used as pet names for your hubby .
While it may be only temporary, at least for public use, you can still keep it as your favorite pet name for your baby boy, just try to not embarrass him in front of his friends when he’s older with a cute nickname:
1. Thon Cakes
2. Thankony
3. Hon
4. Nini Poo
5. Andy
6. Priceless
7. Antolicious
8. Thoney bun
9. Thoncules
10. Anny
11. Antomini
12. Antun
13. Antonissimo
14. Antho-pico
Funny nicknames for Anthony
If there’s anything more popular than cute, it’s surely funny, and there’s always an abundance of funny nicknames to choose from, regardless of the name in question.
Most funny nicknames are puns, plays on words, or rhymes, just be sure to gauge your son’s reaction to them so he can be in on the joke, instead of the brunt of it.
Here are some of the funniest examples:
1. An-Funny
2. Pepper Toni
3. Stoney
4. Sentimony
5. Irony
6. Nini
7. Antennae
8. T-Pony
9. Funny-Money
10. An-Dummy
11. Rantony
12. Nona-Bear
13. Punny
14. Man of Thrones
15. Phoney
16. Tony Thunder
17. Pony
18. Tony Flex
19. Toothpick
20. Giant-Hony
Rare nicknames for Anthony
There are a few nicknames that couldn’t really be sorted into any of the previous categories, whether it’s an unusual reference or a translation from a more obscure language.
There are even some girl names for if you’ve gone for the feminine version of Anthony.
However, that doesn’t mean these nicknames are any less popular, they’re just more endemic, and thus, rarer than others.
Take a look at some of them here, maybe one ends up growing on you:
1. Thonus
2. Andon
3. Andre
4. Angelo
5. Antonello
6. An-Fun
7. Ani-Gma
8. Antal
9. Antonia
10. Antonella
11. Angela
12. Andrea
13. Thona
14. Thonia
15. Antha
How To Find The Perfect Nickname For Your Child
Well, that was a whole load of nicknames, wasn’t it?
There were plenty of them, all different ways of expressing your child’s name in a cute, creative, or funny form.
With all that in mind, it’s still just a nickname and not something you should worry too much about. If it doesn’t come in a day it might come in a week.
You don’t need to have one prepared, I’m sure your son will forgive you for taking your time.
That said, I know some people just want that perfect pet name which simply screams “Anthony”.
For those of you who are like that, or simply like putting some extra effort in, check out this neat list of rules.
1. Your child’s opinion should be the most valued in this situation
When picking out a nickname, it’s not the child that needs to be restrained, but the parents.
They tend to go out of control trying to make a unique name for their baby or go for something silly that may not sit well with the child himself.
Parents also can also go a bit too wild because it’s not their name at stake, but someone else’s, so they don’t feel the risks of potentially getting bullied over it.
This is why it’s important to have your child’s counsel during these decisions, because if you start shouting his pet name during a birthday party you might end up making him a laughing stock!
It’s best to stick to what they like rather than risk making your son sad.
There are a few exceptions to the rule though, as not every child can make a conscious decision on whether or not his or her new nickname will be any good.
In that regard, you don’t have to worry about children who are too young to express emotion or speech in the nicknaming period. Be sure to still give it a bit of thought yourself so it doesn’t stick with him for life.
That said, if you’re still choosing the name and you end up going for one that doesn’t really feel like it should be used in public spaces, then keep it within the family.
2. When in doubt, shorten the first name out
While Tony is a hard name to shorten, it’s not impossible. Tony, Ant, Antho, Anth, and the like all work as shorter versions that easily roll off the tongue and can be applied in conversation a bit easier than Anthony. They can also be used to alternate between the two.
Because they don’t stray too far from the origin, these types of nicknames are arguably the best and most acceptable ones as they’re the most logical.
So, if you want to make a nickname of your own for your kids, try shortening their first name first.
Who knows, you might end up finishing rather quickly and won’t have to delve into the bigger nicknaming problems.
As we’ve seen in some of the nicknames above, using a shorter version of the person’s first name for an easier flow of conversation is always a good choice.
3. Emphasize his unique traits.
Every child is unique in his own way and yours is no different.
There’s bound to be something he’s exhibited that’s been starting to catch everyone’s attention.
Some sort of skill, activity, or even favorite sleeping pose, all of these can serve as inspiration for a number of new nickname ideas.
Depending on how old the child in question is, it can be his first words, a weird way that he pronounces something, or some feat of athleticism if he’s old enough to already be in school.
Try and think really hard about what makes your child unique or some positive trait that makes him stand out and use that to craft his new nickname.
This will feel a lot more relevant and significant than picking ones at random or from a site.
4. Try dipping into other languages
While English isn’t a bad language for names and nicknames, it’s also not the most diverse as it’s only one shell.
It’s always best to pick a few more that might give you an inkling of a different naming world that you can extract some precious gems from.
Latin names often tend to do that, as well as Indian, Hebrew, or Irish ones, so I suggest starting there first and then moving down the line.
German isn’t too bad either and French can be a real delight.
So try looking into those a bit too if you want to find a more exotic nickname for your little angel.
5. Nicknames are completely optional
Something that I keep telling every parent, is the fact that their child doesn’t have to have a pet name.
It’s a completely optional thing, and if you can’t think of anything good then it’s better to leave it blank than risk potentially embarrassing the child for no good reason.
Although you might want your child to stand out as much as he possibly can, that’s not always for the best as there are both good and bad ways of standing out. Try avoiding the latter.
If you’re really eager to give him a nickname, then stick to initials like A.J., A.M., A.T., etc.
These are much shorter variants which sound really cute and are only a few letters long.
Famous People Named Anthony
If a name’s popular, it’s more than likely that there’s some celebrity or fictional figure that also has it.
Some of them can be spectacular role models with their recent portrayals or levels of popularity.
Here are the most notable ones:
Sir Anthony Hopkins – A Welsh actor of legendary acclaim with several awards for the cinematic arts and a knighthood to boot.
His most notable performances were Richard the Lionheart in The Lion of Winter, and, his most famous one, Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.
Tony Hawk – Anthony Frank Hawk is the world’s most famous skateboarder, notable for being the first to land his famous 900°. He’s since gone on to make an entire series of games named after him that introduced a new generation to the idea of skateboarding.
Tony Stark – Iron Man himself, the famous Marvel comics superhero who grew in popularity exponentially thanks to the recent string of movies. This modern iteration of a more positive spin on Tony is played by the famous American actor, Robert Downey Jr.
Anthony Bourdain – A famous American celebrity chef who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. He’s gone on to write many works about cooking and serves as the inspiration for many aspiring chefs.
In Conclusion
Anthony as a name is very flexible when it comes to creating solid nicknames thanks to its unique structure, where almost any part of it can form one on its own.
This flexibility allows for the creation of many nicknames for Anthony, a good number of which can even function as middle names if you end up unable to decide between two or more options.
Whichever one you end up choosing for your newest family member, make sure that he’ll end up liking it too, though I don’t doubt that you’ll make the right decision, mama.
Until next time.
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