Althea f
English: from Greek mythology. Although often considered to be a contracted form of ALETHEA (SEE Alethea), it is actually a quite distinct name (Greek Althaia), of uncertain origin. It was borne in classical legend by the mother of Meleager, who was given a brand plucked from the fire at the instant of her son's birth, with the promise that his life would last as long as the brand did; some twenty years later she destroyed it in a fit of pique. The name was revived by the 17th-century poet Richard Lovelace, as a poetic pseudonym for his beloved.
First names dictionary. 2012.