 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(June 2012) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈændriə,ˈɑːn-/ A(H)N-dree-ə, /ɑːnˈdreɪ.ə/ ahn-DRAY-ə Italian: [anˈdrɛːa] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female (most languages) Male (most cases, Albanian, Italian and Romansh) |
| Language(s) | Greek aner, andros, "man" (i.e. adult male) |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | 'manly' |
| Other names | |
| See also | Andre, Andreas, Andrew, Andy/Andie, Adrian |
Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew.
The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (anēr), genitive ἀνδρός (andrós), that refers to man as opposed to woman (whereas man in the sense of human being is ἄνθρωπος, ánthropos). The original male Greek name, Andréas, represents the hypocoristic, with endearment functions, of male Greek names composed with the andr- prefix, like Androgeos (man of the earth), Androcles (man of glory), Andronikos (man of victory).
In the year 2006, it was the third most popular name in Italy with 3.1% of newborns. [1] It is part of the Italian male names ending in a, some others being Elia (Elias), Enea (Aeneas), Luca (Lucas), Mattia (Matthias), Nicola (Nicholas), Tobia (Tobias). 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 (Andrew).[ citation needed ] Outside of Italy, the name is generally considered a female name.
