Althea

Althea is a Greek name associated with healing. In mythology, Althea is the mother of Meleager, while the poet Richard Lovelace used the name in his poetry. Those traditions give it both a mythological and a literary history, independent of its later use as an English given name.

Tennis player Althea Gibson is a notable modern bearer, and Thea offers a short form drawn from the ending. Parents choosing Althea can keep the full name’s Greek connection while using that simpler everyday form if they wish. Its healing meaning describes the name’s linguistic association, not a claim about a bearer’s abilities or temperament.