A New Nickname for Anthony

I’ve been listening to the totally engrossing podcast Phoebe’s Fall from the Sydney Morning Herald. It’s about the tragic death of Phoebe Handsjuk. I highly recommend it, but beware that it may be difficult material for some to hear. If you liked NPR’s Serial, then you’ll like this one.

I look for interesting names wherever I go, so I was intrigued when the podcasters kept referring to Phoebe’s boyfriend as Ant. I actually rewound a couple times to make sure I was hearing his name correctly. Later, I found out that Ant is a nickname for his full name, Antony. I haven’t heard that nickname before for Antony or Anthony.

Any Australian readers out there who can let me know whether this is a common nickname down under? What about in other parts of the world?

Happy naming ♥ Amanda