Anton

Anton is a diminutive of the name Antonius, which belonged to a significant plebeian family in the Roman Empire. Thus, Anton can be interpreted as "descendant of the Antonii."

What does the name Anton mean?

The name Anton is a diminutive of Antonius, which in turn refers to a well-known Roman family. They derived their name from Anteon, the son of the Greek god Hercules. In Greek, the form of Antonius is Antonios, which means "invaluable, unsellable." This meaning can be traced back to the ancient Greek terms anti (ἀντἰ) for "against" and onios (ὤνιος) for "saleable." Thus, Anton can also be interpreted as "the Valuable," "the Unsellable," or "the Invaluable." The name has international recognition and appears in various spellings. In Germany, Anton was long considered somewhat old-fashioned and was primarily common in the south, but it has regained popularity since the turn of the millennium. In various German dialects, there are numerous variants of the name, such as Tönjes (Frisian) and Tünnes (Rhenish). Additionally, Anton represents the "A" in the German spelling alphabet according to DIN 5009.

Where does the name Anton come from?

The name has its roots with the Antonii, who traced their name back to "Anteon," the son of the Greek god Hercules. Etymologically, Anton could also be considered a Latin diminutive of the Greek name Antonios, stemming from the words "anti" (ἀντἰ) for "against" and "onios" (ὤνιος) for "saleable."

How do you pronounce Anton?

The name Anton is two syllables and has a clear pronunciation. In the German language, it is usually pronounced as "An-ton" [ˈantɔn], with the first syllable starting with an open "a" and the middle consonant structure remaining stable. The darker "o" in the second syllable gives the name a certain depth. Anton radiates a down-to-earth and strong presence – timeless, calm, and steady.

When is the name day of Anton?

The name day for Anton is celebrated on several dates: February 12, January 17, May 6, and June 13.

Popularity

In Germany, the first name Anton has been consistently found since the 1920s and 1930s, usually ranking between 45 and 65. It remained stable in the top 50 to 60 during the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1960s and 1970s, it continued to stay in the top 60 to 80 before losing popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, occasionally appearing in the ranks of 150 to 285. Around the year 2000, it was considered a relatively rare name, ranking 285.

Nicknames & pet names

Aentisch / An / Analton / Andoof / Andönschen / Anjo / Ant / Anthony / Anti / Anto / Antoenchen / Antoern / Antonelli / Antonia / Antonikov / Antonius / Antonow / Antonowitch / Antorö / Antoscha / Antoschka / Antönchen / DJ / Done / Doni / Elefanton / Enton / Harton / Jodler / Klumpton / Oetzi / Plankton / Senner / Sepp / Tirola / Tiroler / Todde / Toenni / Tom / Tonan / Tonaus / Tonda / Tone / Tonerl / Tongo / Toni / Tonic / Tonic-Water / Tonino / Tonja / Tonna / Tonnein / Tonno / Tonti / Tonto / Tonton / Tony / Toscha / Toshi / Touni / Tönchen / Tönis / Tönjes / Tönne / Tünnes

Similar first names

Famous people

• Anton Albers (painter from Germany)
• Anton aus Tirol (song by DJ Ötzi)
• Anton Blomqvist (ice hockey player from Sweden)
• Anton Bohnensack (human friend of Rüdiger, the little vampire (character by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg))
• Anton Bratkov (British footballer)
• Anton Bruckner (composer)
• Anton Del Castillo (Filipino artist)
• Anton Edthofer (Austrian actor)
• Anton Engelbert "Toni" Sailer (Austrian ski racer & actor)
• Anton Faistauer (Austrian artist)
• Anton Feichtner (Bavarian actor)
• Anton Fig (American jazz musician)
• Anton Fischhaber (German racing driver)
• Anton Forti (Austrian singer)
• Anton Giger (Austrian ski success coach (men))
• Anton Gnirs (Czech archaeologist)
• Anton Grigorjewitsch Rubinstein (1829-1894), Russian composer, pianist, and conductor)
• Anton Hansen (writer from Estonia)
• Anton Heinrich Reisner (Austrian magician)
• Anton Hess (sculptor from the USA)