Althea

Derived from the Greek Althaia, drawn from the verb althein, meaning to heal. The name belongs to classical mythology and entered English literature through seventeenth-century verse, most famously in Richard Lovelace's 1642 poem To Althea, from Prison. American parents used it quietly throughout the late nineteenth century before its numbers swelled in the mid-1950s.

An Althea reads like someone who owns a fountain pen and knows the exact pruning schedule for hydrangeas. The name carries an athletic, midcentury poise that has aged straight into vintage prestige. It suggests wooden tennis rackets, botanical encyclopedias, and very little patience for slouching. It has avoided widespread overuse without ever feeling entirely foreign.