Andrea


Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas and Andrew.
It is traditionally popular because, according to the Christian Bible, Saint Andrew was one of the earliest disciples of Jesus and one of the twelve Apostles.

Origin of the name

The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ, genitive ἀνδρός, that refers to man as opposed to woman. The original male Greek name, Andréas, represents the hypocoristic, with endearment functions, of male Greek names composed with the andr- prefix, like Androgeos, Androcles, Andronikos. The same root ἀνδρ-, andr- denoting the male gender is found e.g. in misandry, andrology, androgens and polyandry.
In the year 2006, it was the third most popular name in Italy with 3.1% of newborns. It is one of the Italian male names ending in a, with others being Elia, Enea, Luca, Mattia, Nicola, Tobia. In recent and past times it has also been used on occasion as a female name in Italy and in Spain, where it is considered the legitimate feminine form of Andrés/Andreo/Andreu. Outside of Italy, the name is generally considered a female name.

Usage

Women