Anthea - yes or no?

[HmmAnthea]

I think I quite like Anthea for baby DD (expected early September). But... is it old fashioned in a bad way?

Surname starting with F. I like Thea too, but Thea F- is a mouthful.

Thank you!

I know a couple of Greek children with the name, but it is pronounced Anthi, which is far nicer I think.

No, it's too Th.y and F.y together.
How about..
Anna
Anneka
Andrea
Antonia
Anastasia

I think it’s a great name, but i would say you’re 15 years ahead of time fashion wise. They’ll probably be a lot of babies called Anthea when your daughter is 20 something

Agreed - but is she still on the telly? As soon as she goes away she'll be instantly forgotten, it's not like she's some kind of timeless cultural icon.

@Happyinarcon funnily enough, my own name was very unusual when I was a child, but popular by the time I was 20.

I quite like Diana too, which I suspect might also be popular again in 20 years?

(Not that Diana is on the list)

Another vote for Althea, rather than Anthea. I love the nickname Ally too, rather than Thea.

Yes, yes and yes to Anthea OP, it’s a beautiful name.

No

Sorry OP, everyone over 40 will struggle not to think of Anthea Turner as it’s not a commonplace name. It’s like Bianca - a few will think Shakespeare etc but to most it’s still “Riiicky!” Pop culture can be a bitch. Won’t matter to the kids at school though so if you really love Anthea, use it.

I personally like the sound and look of Alethea if you are going down the Greek route. Or Antonia if you want the nn Annie/Anya. The extra syllable in Alethea or Antonia just makes them look and sound more elegant to me than similar Anthea/ Althea, but that’s personal taste (and may not work with your surname).

Haha- came on to say the same! 😁

I like it and think it's pretty.

I like Anthea, I really like Althea. I don’t like Thea. If you like it then go for it, (as long as it’s not offensive etc) you will never get everyone agreeing with your name choice.

Also I wouldn’t even take into consideration people thinking of Anthea Turner. I’m not even sure who she is so people your babies age definitely won’t know.

Definitely go for Diana, OP! It's a name I would probably have chosen for DD2, but she was born just over a decade after the embarrassingly performative national mourning for the Queen of Hearts, and I didn't want anyone to think I was one of those people making a spectacle of themselves in 1997. I think that memory has faded now and the name is good to use again.

I like Anthea a lot; I just suggested it a few days ago on another thread. But I have never heard of Anthea Redfern and only have a very vague recollection of Anthea Turner, which I never would have thought of without this thread. In fact, I've never met an Anthea IRL. My main association is with Five Children and It. I just think that it sounds nice, and I like the meaning.

The possibility that it could be pronounced Anfea or Amfea puts me off a little bit. There's also the possibility, if you live in an area where non-rhotic accents are common, that it would be pronounced like Ann-fee-urr. But I'm guessing you know whether or not any of these things would happen where you live.

As a side note: Athena is place name to me, and I cannot hear it without supplying "you fuck with Athena, you fuck with Moskva!" (Thanks, Yannis Varoufakis).

I do like the fact it's used it Five Children and It. I have a soft spot for that story.

I wouldn't let other people put me off using it, as it can quite easily be shortened to Thea if the child preferred.

What about Alethea?

Or Antonia or Alexandra.

I like Anthea. It's never been an over-popular name and definitely not 1950s or 60s. I would see it as 1900s as in Five Children and It.

Alethea seems lispy, like Alicia said with a lisp.

I think Athené is lovely too.

Although I guess it's dated I also think it's a really lovely name. For your daughter's generation it will probably feel fresh and they won't have heard of e.g. Anthea Turner. It was never as common as Susan or Diane so it doesn't date in quite the same way. If you really like it I would totally use it.

It's a lovely name.

It’s a pretty name. Not sure about the nicknames for Anthea though- Ants? Fear isn’t great.

How about Anya as a strong and similar ish name?

There is nothing wrong with Anthea I just happen to like Annika and Thea more so that's all I can see lol

I actually love Ant!! Or Ants!

Actually Anya is often used as a nn for any An- name in other countries (even names the same length like Anna!) So it could easily be a nn for Anthea without a stretch.