Recently I’ve had the name Anathea stuck in my head. (Pronounced like [name_f]Anna[/name_f]-[name_f]Thea[/name_f]).
However, I notice it’s not listed on nameberry…
Did I unknowingly make it up? Did my brain just somehow smoosh [name_f]Anna[/name_f] and [name_f]Thea[/name_f] together?
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you like the name? Would it constantly get confused for [name_f]Anthea[/name_f]? Too close to Anathema?
I’d like your thoughts, positive or negative welcome.
Erm, it’s okay. I like [name_f]Anna[/name_f]-[name_f]Thea[/name_f] as a double barrel more than Anathea (which looks quite like anathema, or like a misspelling of [name_f]Anthea[/name_f], which I honestly adore). I would much prefer to see [name_f]Anthea[/name_f], but it is okay. It might be made up. I’ve noticed Nameberry doesn’t have a LOT of legitimate names I’ve come across, though (the one sticking out to me atm is Madelief, the Dutch word for [name_f]Daisy[/name_f], but there are many more). Nameberry has a large database, but a lot of it is variant spellings (I was looking for full names for [name_f]Cara[/name_f] last night, and I must have come up with 20 or so variant spellings of [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] and [name_f]Carolyn[/name_f]), rather than new and interesting names (although there are a lot of those, too!). So Anathea very well might exist, I just wouldn’t know personally. I like [name_f]Anna[/name_f]-[name_f]Thea[/name_f] or [name_f]Anthea[/name_f] much better than Anathea, personally, but it is intriguing as a name.
You didn’t make it up! Although I do think it’s a “made up” name, there’s a beautiful [name_f]Judy[/name_f] [name_u]Collins[/name_u] song called, “Anathea” that’s been around for some time.
However (even being familiar with the song and Anathea used as a name in it) my first thought upon seeing it was anathema. It’s pretty in sound, but I wouldn’t use it.
does strike me as awkward somehow.
Like anathama, or a medical problem.
But I do like [name_f]Anthea[/name_f] and even better [name_f]Althea[/name_f].
And any sort of [name_f]Thea[/name_f] is lovely and strong.
I’m with the previous posters; my first thought was “anathema.”
However, [name_f]Anna[/name_f]-[name_f]Thea[/name_f] is great as a double name.
I too am reminded of “anathema” as well as “anatomy”. I would prefer [name_f]Anthea[/name_f], which is beautiful. Not a huge fan of double-barrels like [name_f]Anna[/name_f]-[name_f]Thea[/name_f] but I would also love [name_f]Anna[/name_f] [name_f]Theodora[/name_f].
Yeah, my first thought was definitely “anathema”. [name_f]Anthea[/name_f] or [name_f]Anna[/name_f]-[name_f]Thea[/name_f], as other posters have suggested, would probably be better.
I hadn’t heard of it before and my first guess was that it was made up. From what others have said it’s a real name. However, I would prefer [name_f]Althea[/name_f] or [name_f]Athena[/name_f]. I know women with each of these names and am surprised I don’t hear them on babies nowadays.
Thanks for all the feedback! It’s a shame Anathema is such a negative word as I think it has a lovely sound 
I’m personally not a fan of double barrel names, and I’m not sold on [name_f]Althea[/name_f], [name_f]Anthea[/name_f] or [name_f]Athena[/name_f], but thanks very much for the suggestions.
Maybe I’ll stick to the lovely [name_f]Thea[/name_f].
There’s also [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] and [name_f]Panthea[/name_f], and I think I saw [name_f]Galathea[/name_f] on NB as a variation on [name_f]Galatea[/name_f] (though I like [name_f]Galatea[/name_f] or the français Galatée better).
I prefer [name_f]Theadora[/name_f] to [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] personally. [name_f]Panthea[/name_f] and [name_f]Galathea[/name_f] are interesting but a little too out-there for me!