| Ianthe | Agape | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Violet flower | Love |
| Origin | greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | eye-AN-thee | ah-GAH-pay |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1970 (9) | 2020 (12) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ianthe | Agape |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 0 | 40 |
| 2010s | 7 | 37 |
| 2000s | 0 | 29 |
| 1990s | 0 | 6 |
| 1980s | 5 | 0 |
| 1970s | 15 | 0 |
| 1950s | 5 | 0 |
| 1940s | 5 | 0 |
| 1920s | 5 | 0 |
| 1910s | 5 | 0 |
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.
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.
Ianthe and Agape are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Ianthe means Violet flower (greek origin), while Agape means Love (greek origin).
In US records, Ianthe first appears in 0 and Agape in 0, so Ianthe has the longer recorded history.