Anfernee
Masculine · “Unknown”
Anfernee is Anthony written down the way a great many English speakers actually say it. Replacing the th with an f is not a mistake or a local oddity; it is one of the best-documented sound changes in the language, and it is happening in London and Memphis at the same time for the same reasons.
How old is the name Anfernee?
Anfernee first appears in US birth records in 1992 — 33 years ago. The typical Anfernee alive today was born around 1996, making them about 29 years old. About 1,300 people named Anfernee are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Anfernee most popular?
Anfernee peaked in 1996, reaching #597 nationally. See the whole 1996 chart.
Where it comes from
From Antonius to Anfernee
The story of Anfernee
Linguists call it th-fronting: the sound at the end of both and the middle of nothing moves forward in the mouth and comes out as an f. It is centuries old in parts of London, is standard in a good deal of African American English in medial and final position, and has been spreading steadily through British and American speech for a hundred years. A spelling that records it is not writing the name wrong; it is writing a different accent's version of the name, which is what respellings always do. What put this particular spelling into wide circulation was a basketball player, one of the most watched athletes in the country through the middle of the nineties, whose given name was written this way on every screen and every jersey for years running.
Meaningnot established
Unknown
Antonius was a Roman clan name and its meaning was already lost by the classical period. Every meaning printed for it, including the priceless and the praiseworthy readings that circulate, is a later invention working backwards from the sound. The spelling here changes nothing about that: it is a different way of writing the same untraceable name.
How the name formed
- Antonius
- Anthony
- Anfernee
Pronouncing Anfernee
AN-fur-nee
Three syllables with the stress at the front, said as Anthony is said by a speaker who fronts the th. The spelling is a faithful record of a real pronunciation rather than an approximation of the standard one.
Nicknames for Anfernee
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1992
- Most boys named
- 1996300 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #597reached in 1996
- Change vs 2023
- +22.2%11 in 2024, from 9
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Anfernees among us
people named Anfernee are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Anfernee sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- The spelling and the pronunciation match exactly for the accent it was written from.
- It is instantly recognizable as a form of a very familiar name, so it never needs explaining twice.
- Three short forms are available, and none of them collides with the short forms of Anthony.
- Anthony is the standard spelling, and this one will be treated as an error by people who do not know the sound change.
- The name is closely tied to one athlete and one decade in American memory.
- Spellings that record a regional pronunciation can attract judgment about the accent rather than the name.
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Anfernee
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Anfernees are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,300 people named Anfernee are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Anfernee in 2025?
- Anfernee is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Anfernee with classmates?
- Anfernee will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More A names
The most-given names starting with A, all years combined.
Anthony#46 · Andrew#73 · Alexander#30 · Aaron#80 · Adam#101 · Arthur#87 · Albert#614 · Austin#113
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Anfernee? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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