Antonio

Antonio
Gender Male
Language(s) Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Other names
See also Antony, Antoine, Antonius, Tony, Antonia, Antonietta

Antonio is a Greek, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish first name. In the English language it is translated as Anthony, and has some female derivatives: Antonia, Antónia, Antonieta, Antonietta, and Antonella. It also has some male derivatives, such as Antonis, Antoñito, Antonino, Antonello, Tonio, Toño, Toñín, Tonino, Nantonio, Totò, Tó , Toni and Toñito. The Portuguese equivalent is António or Antônio. In old Portuguese the form Antão was also used. The Greek version of the name is Antonios.

The name derives from Antonius, a well known Latin family name, probably of Etruscan origin. Antonius has been said to derive from the Ancient Greek God "Adonis". This, however, is quite unlikely, since the Greek letter "δ" (delta) is equivalent to the Latin letter "d" and there is no recorded transformation of "δ" or "d" to "nt". The Roman general Marcus Antonius held that the origin of the name was Anthon, son of Hercules. This myth, recorded by Plutarch, was probably created by Marcus Antonius himself, in order to claim divine parentage. The name was in use throughout the Roman world which, at its height, comprised the whole of the Mediterranean and much of Europe as well as the Near and Middle East. When the Roman Empire became Christian, the name continued in popularity because of the many great saints who bore the name. Later, the name was spread all around the world as Christianity was introduced into indigenous populations (e.g. the Far East, the Americas, and Sub-Saharan Africa).

The name Antonio is widely used in Italy, in Portugal, in Spain and in Macedonia. After the Iberic peoples discovered the new world, many of them settled in the area, and, as a consequence, Antonio is one of the most popular first names in Latin America, as well as among Hispanics, and, to a small degree, North Americans in the United States.

Contents

Famous male bearers

Antonio

Antonio may also refer to:

Antonio as middle name

Known as Tony

Further information: Tony

Fictional characters

Antonio may refer to the fictional characters:

Other uses

References

  1. ^ Schiro, Anne-Marie (1987-03-18), "Antonio Lopez is dead at 44; was major fashion illustrator", New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/18/obituaries/antonio-lopez-is-dead-at-44-was-major-fashion-illustrator.html, retrieved 2009-12-04