Greek2 syllables#73 in the U.S.
Meaning: manly, brave.
Andrew
| Origin | Greek — from Andreas, the name of the apostle, by way of Latin and Old French |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Manly, brave, from andreios (manly, courageous), itself from anēr, genitive andros (man) |
| Pronunciation | AN-droo (two syllables); the -drew is one beat, never AN-druh-yoo |
| Popularity | #73 in the U.S., a top-100 presence across generations, strongest in the 1980s and 1990s |
| Variants | Andreas, André, Andrés, Andrei, Andrii, Andrzej, Ondřej, Anders |
| Nicknames | Andy, Drew, Dre |
| Feast day | 30 November, St Andrew's Day, the national day of Scotland |
History & meaning
A Galilean fisherman with a Greek name tells you something about first-century Palestine. Andreas was ordinary in the Hellenised eastern Mediterranean, and the apostle Andrew — brother of Simon Peter, and in the Eastern churches the Protokletos, the First-Called — carried it into the Gospels. The word underneath is anēr, man, giving andreios, manly or courageous. It is one of the few name meanings that has needed no softening or reinterpretation in two thousand years.
From there the name went everywhere the church went, and collected countries as it travelled: Andrew is patron saint of Scotland, Greece, Russia, Ukraine and Romania. Scottish tradition places his relics at the Fife town that took his name, his diagonal cross became the saltire on the Scottish flag, and Andrew has been a staple of Scots naming ever since. Russia produced Andrei, France André, Spain Andrés, Poland Andrzej. In America the name arrived early enough to be worn by two presidents, and by the 1980s it was one of the most reliable choices on the list.
Why parents choose it
Some names are chosen for what they signal; Andrew is chosen for what it spares you. Nobody misspells it, nobody mispronounces it, and it has never been fashionable enough to date a child to a decade. It also arrives with two short forms of completely different temperature: Andy is friendly and unguarded, Drew is cool and adult, and the same boy can use both.
Middle names for Andrew
Andrew's second syllable trails off, so a middle that starts firmly picks the line back up: Andrew Vincent, Andrew Malcolm, Andrew Jude, Andrew Isaac. If the surname is short, a three-syllable middle restores the balance — the middle names guide works through the arithmetic.
Famous Andrews
Andrew Jackson and Andrew Johnson both reached the White House. Andrew Carnegie built the American steel industry and then gave most of the proceeds away in libraries. Andrew Wyeth painted Christina's World. Andrew Lloyd Webber has written more musicals than most people can name, and Andrew Garfield has played Spider-Man and a Jesuit priest with equal conviction.
Consider instead
Staying in Greek: Alexander offers the same classical solidity with more ceremony, and Nicholas matches Andrew almost exactly for tone and saintly mileage. And if you want the same name with a different accent, André is Andrew in French dress, stress moved to the second syllable.