boy's name
Tony
TOH-nee
- Origin Latin
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 313,013
the United States
#783
2025 births
Tony is a boy's name from the Roman family name Antonius, whose meaning has never been established. The h in Anthony is a Renaissance mistake — scholars wrongly connected it to a Greek word for a flower.
- Tony is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1961, when 8,368 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 10,201 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Tony over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 407 |
| 1890s | 485 |
| 1900s | 1,034 |
| 1910s | 7,565 |
| 1920s | 10,655 |
| 1930s | 9,363 |
| 1940s | 17,177 |
| 1950s | 41,118 |
| 1960s | 71,183 |
| 1970s | 36,276 |
| 1980s | 24,835 |
| 1990s | 16,298 |
| 2000s | 9,915 |
| 2010s | 6,046 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,126 |
What Tony means
Tony has no established meaning, because the Roman family name behind it does not. Priceless and inestimable are commonly given but neither is derived from anything demonstrable.
Where Tony comes from
Tony shortens Anthony, from the Roman gens name Antonius, which is probably Etruscan and whose meaning is lost. The readings priceless and inestimable that circulate are inventions with no support. The h is a documented error: Renaissance scholars, assuming a Greek origin, connected the name to anthos, a flower, and inserted a th that had never been there — which is why English says Anthony while Italian says Antonio and French Antoine. Mark Antony, the triumvir, spelled it without an h because in Latin there was none. Saint Anthony of Padua, patron of lost things, gave the name its Catholic weight.
Tony in use
Tony peaked in the United States in 1961, when 8,368 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 377th in Ireland on 10 births, 651st in France on 65, 783rd in the United States on 325 and 1487th in England and Wales, across 313,013 lifetime births in five of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Tony?
In 2025, Tony was given to 325 babies in the United States, ranking #783 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Tony is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Tony
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Tony also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Tony over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Tony in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Tony
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Tony — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Tony
What does the name Tony mean?
Nothing established. The Roman family name Antonius is probably Etruscan and its meaning is lost.
Why does Anthony have an h?
Renaissance scholars wrongly linked the name to the Greek anthos, a flower, and inserted a th that was never there.
Did Mark Antony spell it without an h?
Yes — Latin had no h in the name. The English spelling with th is a later error.
How popular is Tony?
783rd in the United States and 377th in Ireland.
Is Tony a girl's or a boy's name?
Tony is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Tony?
Tony has 2 syllables.
Is Tony a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Tony currently ranks #377 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.