# Andrea
**Andrea** is a given name that serves as the feminine form of Andrew in most European languages, while functioning as the standard masculine form of Andrew in Italian. It derives from the Greek *andreios* (ἀνδρεῖος), meaning "manly" or "brave", ultimately from *anēr* (ἀνήρ), "man".[1](https://www.behindthename.com/name/andrea-2) • [2](https://kseniaodintsova.com/blogs/tales/andrea-name-meaning-courage-strength-european-origins) This split usage makes Andrea one of the comparatively few European names whose grammatical gender changes with the language.[3](https://www.atlasjmen.cz/andrea/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Etymology | Feminine form of Andrew, from Greek *andreios*, "manly, brave"; the Italian masculine Andrea preserves the direct form of Andreas[1](https://www.behindthename.com/name/andrea-2) • [2](https://kseniaodintsova.com/blogs/tales/andrea-name-meaning-courage-strength-european-origins) |
| Gender by country | Predominantly male in Italy (rank 10 in 2024, 3,143 boys), France, Belgium, and Switzerland; predominantly female in Iceland, Spain, the Czech Republic, Norway, and the English-speaking world[4](https://world-names.info/first-name/andrea/) |
| Global bearers | About 4,098,556 people, the 87th most common given name worldwide; most prevalent in Italy, highest density in San Marino[5](https://forebears.io/forenames/andrea) |
| Italy | 1,091,025 bearers, about 1 in 56 residents, ranked 10th; 63% male[5](https://forebears.io/forenames/andrea) |
| Norway | 7,912 women bore Andrea as sole or first given name in 2022, among the hundred most used female names; 83 girls received it that year[6](https://snl.no/Andrea_-_kvinnenamn) |
| United States | Peaked at #23 for girls in 1978; ranked #235 for girls in 2025, with about 1,317 births[7](https://nameberry.com/name/andrea) |
| Earliest records | Latin records in Italy from 1348; England 1558 (as "Andrie"); France 1564 (as Andrée); Spain 1576[8](https://dmnes.org/name/Andrea) |
## Etymology and origin
The name descends from the [Ancient Greek](https://www.edgepedia.org/ancient-greek) *Andréas* (Ἀνδρέας), related to *anēr* and *andros*, "man", and to *andreios*, "courageous, manly".[2](https://kseniaodintsova.com/blogs/tales/andrea-name-meaning-courage-strength-european-origins) The masculine Andreas entered European use through the cult of Saint Andrew the Apostle, brother of Peter, whose veneration spread the name across the continent in the Middle Ages.[3](https://www.atlasjmen.cz/andrea/)
The feminine Andrea developed as a natural derivative of the masculine Andreas and spread from the Renaissance onward, especially in German-speaking and Central European regions.[3](https://www.atlasjmen.cz/andrea/) The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources records the form in Latin documents in Italy from 1348, in England from 1558 (spelled Andrie, then Andrea in 1577), in [Middle French](https://www.edgepedia.org/middle-french) as Andrée from 1564, and in Spain from 1576.[8](https://dmnes.org/name/Andrea) Occasional medieval Latin instances of Andrea for women probably represent the ordinary male name Andrew applied to a girl, with the feminine ending added only when the name was turned into Latin.[5](https://forebears.io/forenames/andrea) As an English name, Andrea has been used since the 17th century, though it was not common until the 20th century.[1](https://www.behindthename.com/name/andrea-2)
## The gender split across Europe
Andrea is used for both sexes, but which sex depends on the country. It is predominantly a male name in Italy, where it is the direct continuation of Andreas, and also in France, Belgium, and Switzerland.[4](https://world-names.info/first-name/andrea/) In Italy it ranked 10th among boys' names in 2024 with 3,143 boys named Andrea, and it also appears as a female name there, ranked 171st in 2024.[4](https://world-names.info/first-name/andrea/) In Germany, by contrast, the male form is Andreas and Andrea is given to girls.[4](https://world-names.info/first-name/andrea/)
Elsewhere the name is feminine. It ranks highest as a female name in Iceland (17th in 2021), and also appears in the [Faroe Islands](https://www.edgepedia.org/faroe-islands), the [Canary Islands](https://www.edgepedia.org/canary-islands), Greenland, Spain (80th in 2024, 335 girls), the Czech Republic (93rd in 2024), and Norway (98th in 2025).[4](https://world-names.info/first-name/andrea/) In the Czech Republic, Andrea was especially popular for generations born from the 1970s to the 1990s and remains among the hundred most common female names.[3](https://www.atlasjmen.cz/andrea/)
The [Polish language](https://www.edgepedia.org/polish-language) council examined the name in 2007 and found no obstacle to its use for a girl: it is neither ridiculous nor indecent, is not a diminutive, clearly indicates the child's sex, is tied to Christian tradition, and fits Polish spelling rules. According to data from the Institute of Polish Language of the [Polish Academy of Sciences](https://www.edgepedia.org/polish-academy-of-sciences), 294 Polish women bore the name at that time.[9](https://rjp.pan.pl/andrea-2/)
## Popularity
**Norway.** In 2022, 7,912 women in Norway had Andrea as their only or first given name, placing it among the hundred most used female names, and 83 girls received the name that year.[6](https://snl.no/Andrea_-_kvinnenamn) Norwegian three-syllable names ending in -a, such as Amanda and Andrea, had a first peak in the late 19th century and a second peak around the year 2000.[6](https://snl.no/Andrea_-_kvinnenamn) In the 1800s the name was most used in the counties of Telemark and Aust-Agder.[6](https://snl.no/Andrea_-_kvinnenamn)
**United States.** Andrea has been recorded in US birth data since 1881, missing only 1882 and 1883.[10](https://www.pokemyname.com/firstname_915_andrea.htm) It rose through the mid-20th century and peaked for girls at #23 in 1978.[7](https://nameberry.com/name/andrea) By annual birth count, the peak year was 1981, with 11,840 girls named Andrea.[11](https://everybabynames.com/name/andrea) The name then declined gradually: it left the top 100 after 2012 (rank #100 that year) and stood at #235 for girls in 2025, with about 1,317 births, while remaining about 98 to 99 percent female in US usage.[7](https://nameberry.com/name/andrea) • [12](https://www.behindthename.com/name/andrea/top/united-states)
**Global distribution.** About 4.1 million people bear the name, most of them in Italy (1,091,025, roughly 1 in 56 residents, 63% male), followed by Germany (602,267) and the United States (508,560).[5](https://forebears.io/forenames/andrea) The highest density relative to population is in [San Marino](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-marino).[5](https://forebears.io/forenames/andrea)
## A name that changes gender
[The Italian](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-italian) masculine tradition often surprises English speakers, who know Andrea almost exclusively as a woman's name; the Italian usage preserves the name's closer relationship to Andreas and to Saint Andrew.[2](https://kseniaodintsova.com/blogs/tales/andrea-name-meaning-courage-strength-european-origins) The same sound can feel entirely feminine in one country and entirely masculine in another, so the name's gender identity is a matter of cultural and linguistic convention rather than of the name itself.[2](https://kseniaodintsova.com/blogs/tales/andrea-name-meaning-courage-strength-european-origins)
## References
1. [Andrea (2) – Behind the Name](https://www.behindthename.com/name/andrea-2)
2. [Andrea Name Meaning: Courage, Strength and European Origins – Ksenia Odintsova](https://kseniaodintsova.com/blogs/tales/andrea-name-meaning-courage-strength-european-origins)
3. [Původ a historie jména Andrea – Atlas Jmen](https://www.atlasjmen.cz/andrea/)
4. [Andrea – First Name Meaning & Origin, WorldNames.info](https://world-names.info/first-name/andrea/)
5. [Andrea Forename – Forebears](https://forebears.io/forenames/andrea)
6. [Andrea (kvinnenamn) – Store norske leksikon](https://snl.no/Andrea_-_kvinnenamn)
7. [Andrea Name Meaning, Origin & Popularity – Nameberry](https://nameberry.com/name/andrea)
8. [Andrea – Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2023](https://dmnes.org/name/Andrea)
9. [Andrea – Rada Języka Polskiego PAN](https://rjp.pan.pl/andrea-2/)
10. [Andrea: Popularity, Statistics & Name Meaning – PokemyName](https://www.pokemyname.com/firstname_915_andrea.htm)
11. [Andrea – Popularity, Trends & History Across 5 Countries, EveryBabyNames](https://everybabynames.com/name/andrea)
12. [Popularity for the name Andrea in the United States – Behind the Name](https://www.behindthename.com/name/andrea/top/united-states)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Languages and linguistics › Names and onomastics › Individual given names (by language and gender) › Classical and European names*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license