From Greek 'antheia' meaning flower or blossom, an epithet of Hera.
Anthea is pure Greek poetry in name form. It derives directly from anthos, the Greek word for flower or blossom, and was used in antiquity as an epithet of Hera and Aphrodite in their aspects as goddesses of spring, fertility, and flowering beauty. The name carries within it the entire pastoral tradition of classical culture — garlands, meadows, the idea that beauty is fundamentally botanical, rooted in the turning of seasons.
Among the Nereids (sea nymphs) of Greek mythology, Anthea appears as a figure of flowering abundance. The name entered English literary consciousness most memorably through the seventeenth-century poet Robert Herrick, who addressed several of his most celebrated poems to an idealized figure named Anthea. "To Anthea, Who May Command Him Anything" remains one of his most anthologized lyrics, its devotion so complete and graceful that Anthea became, for generations of readers, the embodiment of a beloved muse.
This literary association kept the name alive through periods when it might otherwise have vanished — it was never a chart-topping name but was always discoverable by those with classical or literary inclinations. Anthea has worn its rarity with distinction. It enjoyed modest popularity in mid-twentieth-century Britain, partly through its use by educated families drawn to its classical credentials, and partly through Anthea Turner, the British television presenter whose cheerful prominence in the 1990s gave the name a fresh, contemporary face. Today Anthea feels simultaneously antique and thoroughly wearable — a name that arrives with history but never feels burdened by it, always suggesting something in bloom.