Scandinavian2 syllablesForm of Andrew
Meaning: manly; brave.
Anders
| Origin | Danish, Norwegian and Swedish form of Andreas, the Greek name behind English Andrew |
|---|---|
| Meaning | From Greek andreios (manly, brave), itself from anēr, genitive andros (man) |
| Pronunciation | AHN-durs in English; Swedish speakers end it closer to "AHN-desh" |
| Popularity | Outside the current U.S. top 100 and uncommon in America; an everyday traditional name across Denmark, Norway and Sweden |
| Variants | Andrew, Andre, Andreas, Andres, Andrei, Ander |
| Nicknames | Ande, Andy |
| Name day | 30 November, shared with Saint Andrew in the Swedish and Norwegian calendars |
History & meaning
Greek parents named their sons Andreas from the adjective andreios, manly or courageous, built on anēr, a man. One of those Andreases was a Galilean fisherman who became an apostle, and the name went wherever Christianity went. Northern Europe received it as Andreas, then flattened it: Old Danish and Old Swedish speakers cut the middle out and were left with Anders. English did the same job differently and produced Andrew. The two names are the same word in different accents.
How thoroughly Scandinavia absorbed it shows up in the phone book. Andersen in Denmark and Norway and Andersson in Sweden both mean "Anders's son", and both sit near the top of their national surname lists — Hans Christian Andersen's family name is simply a record of some ancestor called Anders. The name kept excellent company, too: Anders Celsius devised his temperature scale at Uppsala in 1742, originally with 0 for boiling and 100 for freezing, an arrangement later turned the right way up. In Danish, Donald Duck is Anders And, which means every Danish child grows up knowing the name before they meet anyone who has it.
Why parents choose it
Anders offers Andrew's substance without Andrew's ubiquity. It is unmistakably a real name with a long history, it needs no explanation, and the S ending puts it in the company of Miles, Silas and Brooks rather than in the pile of invented Nordic-sounding options.
Middle names for Anders
The S ending is the thing to manage: a middle name starting with S or a soft C will slur. These work cleanly: Anders Michael, Anders Cole, Anders Nikolai, Anders Rune. There is more on consonant clashes in the middle names guide.
Famous Anderses
Anders Celsius (1701–1744) was the Swedish astronomer whose name became a unit. Anders Zorn (1860–1920) was the painter and etcher who made Mora, Sweden, an art destination. Anders Fogh Rasmussen served as prime minister of Denmark from 2001 to 2009 and then as Secretary General of NATO from 2009 to 2014.
Consider instead
The English original, Andrew, gives you the same meaning and a much deeper bench of nicknames. Soren is the other great Danish import, softer in the mouth. Magnus keeps the Nordic weight and the S ending while adding a Latin meaning. The A names page has the rest.