Althea is the Latin form of the Greek Althaia, from althein, to heal, so it is usually read as "healer" or "wholesome". In Greek myth Althaea was the mother of the hero Meleager, and in American history Althea Gibson became the first Black player to win Wimbledon in 1957. Althea stood at number 2280 in 2000 and has slowly moved up to number 1299 in 2025, its best rank in this period.