Althea

About Althea

Althea is an ancient Greek name possibly connected with a word meaning “healing.” It appears in the myth of Meleager’s mother and has a particularly important modern association with Althea Gibson, the tennis champion who broke racial barriers in international sport. Its classical background and sporting history give the name two very different stories.

Greek origins and mythology

The Greek form is Althaia, written Ἀλθαία. A proposed connection links it with althos, “healing,” although the derivation is not certain. Althaea is another Latinized spelling.

In mythology, Althea is the mother of Meleager. After his birth, she learns that his life will last only as long as a piece of wood burning in the fire. She puts out the wood and hides it safely.

Many years later, anger leads her to burn the wood, bringing about her son’s death. It is a tragic story about family bonds and a life held in another person’s keeping. This ancient figure gives the name a literary identity that predates modern naming fashions.

Althea Gibson’s tennis career

Althea Gibson made her historic debut at the U.S. Nationals in 1950, becoming the first African American to compete there. Her appearance challenged the exclusion that had shaped the sport’s major American tournament.

Her first major singles title came at the French Championships in 1956. She went on to win the Wimbledon and U.S. singles championships in both 1957 and 1958, establishing herself among the leading players of her time.

Gibson also excelled in doubles. Her major titles included women’s doubles victories in France, Australia, and at Wimbledon, together with a U.S. mixed doubles title. Her record extended across different surfaces and partnerships.

In 1964 she entered another demanding sporting setting, becoming the first African American woman on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour. Tennis remains her best-known achievement, but golf forms an important part of her wider athletic career.

Sound and related forms

English pronunciations include AL-thee-uh and al-THEE-uh. Both give the name three syllables, with the th sound heard in “thin.” The shift in stress changes the rhythm while leaving the spelling intact.

Althaia stays closer to the Greek written form, while Althaea preserves another classical spelling. Althea’s long middle vowel and open ending give it a different cadence from shorter names such as Thea.

American popularity

Althea’s highest annual birth count for girls in the United States was 388 in 1956, when it ranked #474. That year coincides with Gibson’s first major singles championship, although the statistics alone do not establish why individual families chose it.

The spelling was given to 68 girls in 2000 and 81 in 2010. In 2025 it was recorded for 171 girls and ranked #1,299, showing renewed use after lower counts around the turn of the century.

How popular is Althea?

In 2025, Althea ranked #1,299 among girls in the United States, with 171 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1880; its largest annual count was 388 in 1956. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.