| Agape | Ianthe | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Love | Violet flower |
| Origin | greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ah-GAH-pay | eye-AN-thee |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2020 (12) | 1970 (9) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Agape | Ianthe |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 40 | 0 |
| 2010s | 37 | 7 |
| 2000s | 29 | 0 |
| 1990s | 6 | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 | 5 |
| 1970s | 0 | 15 |
| 1950s | 0 | 5 |
| 1940s | 0 | 5 |
| 1920s | 0 | 5 |
| 1910s | 0 | 5 |
From the Greek agape (ἀγάπη) 'love', the word used in the New Testament for selfless, divine love. Borne by early Christian martyrs; its spiritual sense supports a virtue reading alongside love.
From Greek 'ion' (violet) + 'anthos' (flower), giving 'violet flower'. Borne by a figure in Greek mythology (an Oceanid) and used by Lord Byron. A minority of sources offer alternative roots, but 'violet flower' is the standard etymology.
Agape and Ianthe are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Agape means Love (greek origin), while Ianthe means Violet flower (greek origin).
In US records, Agape first appears in 0 and Ianthe in 0, so Agape has the longer recorded history.