Andrea (/ˈændriə, ˈɑːn-, ɑːnˈdreɪə/) is a given name which is common worldwide, 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.
It derives from the Greek ἀνήρ (anēr), genitive ἀνδρός (andrós), that indicates the man as opposed to the woman (while man in the meaning of human being is ἄνθρωπος, ánthropos, ἀνθρώπου, anthrópou). The original male Greek name, Andréas, (directly etymologically related to andras/άνδρας, man/adult male, husband) 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). The same root ἀνδρ-, andr- denoting the male gender is found e.g. in misandry (the hatred of the male sex), andrology (male physiology), androgens (male hormones) and polyandry (the practice of taking more than one husband at the same time).
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 (Elias), Enea (Aeneas), Luca (Lucas), Mattia (Matthias), Nicola (Nicholas), Tobia (Tobias). In recent and past times it has been used as a female name also in Italy, but not very often. Outside of Italy, the name is generally considered a female name.
In Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovenian, Dutch, English, German, Hungarian, Scandinavian languages and Spanish, Andrea is the feminine form of Andrew. Masculine forms are Andrej, Ondřej, Andrzej, Anže, Andrew, Andreas, András, Andreo, Andrés, Anders, Andries or Andre.
In Albanian and Romansh Andrea is a masculine name, the equivalent of Andrew.
In Italian, Andrea is a primarily masculine name.
In Bulgarian Andrea is used as the feminine form of "Andrei".
In Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia, Andrea is a feminine name; Andreja can be used as female name, while Andrija, Andro and Andrej are masculine forms. The only exception is Istria, where Andrea is a male name.
In Romania Andreea is a feminine name and it is written with an extra "e". However, the feminine variation Andrea is also used. Andrea as etymon means needle in Romanian. Andrei is the masculine form.
Andréa is a Brazilian Portuguese form of Andrea also used in Portugal along with Andreia.
In Dutch, Andrea is used as a female name, although the variant Andrée is found in French.
In Basque Andrea and Andere exist as female names. Two etymons merge in the former: the most widespread form with a Greek root, 'man', and the Basque-Aquitanian ancient form "andere(a)", present-day "andere(a)" and "andre(a)", 'madam', 'lady' (used mainly as title, e.g. "Andramari", 'Lady/Virgin Mary'), as opposed to "jaun", 'lord'. In popular usage it can ultimately mean 'adult woman'.
In Catalan Andrea is used as the feminine form of "Andreu".
Andrea Alföldi (born 1964), Hungarian race walker
Andrea Allan (born 1946), American actress
Andrea Anders (born 1975), American actress
Andrea Armstrong (born 1982), former American collegiate basketball player
Andrea Ávila (born 1970), Argentine long and triple jumper
Andrea Baker, American actress
Andrea Barber (born 1976), American actress
Andrea Barthwell, American federal civil servant and Illinois political hopeful
Andrea Berg (born 1981), German volleyball player
Andrea Borrell (born 1963), Cuban basketball player
Andrea Bowen (born 1990), American actress
Andrea Brown (born 1974), American singer
Andrea Canning (born 1972), Canadian-American broadcast journalist
Andrea Češková (born 1971), Czech MEP
Andrea Corr (born 1974), Irish musician
Andrea Demirović (born 1985), Montenegrin singer
Andrea Dewar (born 1979), Canadian water polo player
Andrea Dworkin (1946–2005), American radical feminist and writer
Andrea Echeverri (born 1965), Colombian singer and guitarist, lead singer of the rock band Aterciopelados
Andreea Ehritt-Vanc (born 1973), Romanian tennis player
Andrea Farkas (born 1969), Hungarian handball goalkeeper
Andrea Feldman (born 1948), American actress
Andrea Fioroni (born 1969), Argentine field hockey player
Andrea Fischer (born 1960), German politician
Andrea Gibson spoken word artist and activist
Andrea Ghez (born 1965), American astronomer
Andrea Glass (born 1976), German tennis player
Andrea Hall (born 1947), American soap opera actress
Andrea Hayes (born 1969), American backstroke swimmer
Andréa Henriques (born 1980), Brazilian water polo player
Andrea Hlaváčková (born 1986), Czech tennis player
Andrea Immer Robinson (born 1964), Master Sommelier and Dean of Wine Studies at the French Culinary Institute
Andrea Jaeger (born 1965), American former tennis player
Andrea Jeremiah (born 1985), Indian Tamil playback singer, film actress and a model.
Andrea Jung (born 1959), business executive
Andrea King (1919–2003), American actress
Andrea Koppel (born 1963), American news correspondent
Andrea Lau (born 1947), German actress
Andrea Leeds (1914–1984), American actress
Andrea Lehotská (born 1981), Slovak television hostess, actress, and top model.
Andrea Levy (born 1956), British author
Andrea Lewis (born 1985), Canadian actress
Andrea Libman (Born 1984), Canadian Voice Actress
Andrea Lowe (born 1975), British actress
Andrea Martin (born 1947), actress and comedian
Andrea Mason (born 1968), Australian politician
Andrea Mayr (born 1979), Austrian long-distance runner
Andrea McArdle (born 1963), American singer and actress
Andrea Mitchell (born 1946), American news correspondent
Andrea Moody (born 1978), Canadian swimmer
Andrea Murez, Israeli-American Olympic swimmer for Israel
Andrea Petkovic (born 1987), Glass's German compatriot and tennis player but she was born in Tuzla, Bosnia.
Andreea Raducan (born 1983), Romanian gymnast
Andrea Romano, American voice actress
Andrea Temesvári (born 1966), Hungarian former tennis player
Andrea Thompson (born 1960), American actress
Andrea Tóth (born 1980), Hungarian water polo player
Andrea True (born 1943), Porn actress and singer
Andrea Yates (born 1964), American defendant in a notorious filicide case
Andrea Zollo, American singer
Andrea Zonn (born 1969), American singer and musician
Andrea Zsadon, (born 1946) Hungarian soprano
Andrea, (born 1987), Bulgarian singer
Andrea Aguyar (died 1849), Uruguayan slave turned soldier and revolutionary
Andrea Alciato (1492–1550), Italian jurist
Andrea Amati (1505–1577), luthier from Cremona, Italy, credited with making the first instruments of the violin family that are in the form we use today
Andrea Antico (c. 1480 – c. 1538) was an Istrian music printer, editor, publisher and composer of the Renaissance
Andrea Aleksi (1425–1505), Albanian architect
Andrea Ammonio (c. 1478–1517), Italian poet
Andrea Andreani (1540–1623), Italian engraver on wood
Andrea Appiani (1754–1817), Italian painter
Andrea Argoli (1570–1657), Italian mathematician and astronomer
Andrea Bacci (born 1972), Italian race car driver
Andrea Baldini (born 1985), Italian fencer
Andrea Bargnani (born 1985), Italian basketball player
Andrea Barzagli (born 1981), World Cup-winning Italian football player
Andrea Bianchi (born 1925), Italian film director
Andrea Boattini (born 1969), Italian astronomer
Andrea Bocelli (born 1958), Italian singer, writer and music producer
Andrea Bogdani (1600–1683), Albanian prelate and scholar
Andrea Bonomi (1923–2003), Italian footballer
Andrea Branzi (born 1938), Italian architect and designer
Andrea Briosco (c. 1470–1532), Italian sculptor and architect
Andrea Camilleri (born 1925), Italian writer
Andrea Casiraghi (born 1984), eldest child of HRH Princess Caroline of Monaco
Andrea Cesalpino (1519–1603), Italian physician, philosopher and botanist
Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo (born 1925), Archbishop of Tuscania
Andrea Costa (1851–1913), Italian socialist activist
Andrea Doria (1466–1560), Genoese condottiere and admiral.
Andrea Dovizioso (born 1986), Italian motorcycle racer
Andrea Ferrara, 16th century Scottish artificer who introduced the manufacture of the high-quality steel blades bearing his name
Andrea Figallo (born 1972), Italian composer and conductor
Andrea da Firenze (?-1415), Italian composer
Andrea del Verrocchio (c. 1435–1488), Florentine sculptor
Andrea diSessa, (born 1947) American academic and epistemologist
Andrea Gabrieli (c. 1532/33-1585), Italian composer
Andrea Gioannetti (1722–1800), Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal
Andrea Iannone (born 1989), Italian MotoGP driver
Andrea Kim Taegŏn (1821–1846), first Korean Catholic priest, Patron Saint of Korea for the Catholic Church
Andrea Luchesi (1741–1801), Italian composer
Andrea Mantegna (c. 1431–1506), Florentine painter
Andrea Massena (1758–1817), French military commander of Sardinian origin during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, one of the original eighteen Marshals of the Empire created by Napoleon
Andrea Nuciforo (1964), US politician who served as Democratic State Senator (1997-2007), representing the Berkshire, Hampshire & Franklin district in western Massachusetts
Andrea Orcagna (c. 1308–1368), Florentine painter, sculptor and architect
Andrea Palladio (1508–1580), Italian architect
Andrea Pazienza (1956–1988), Italian comics artist
Andrea Pirlo (born 1979), World Cup-winning Italian football player
Andrea Pisano (c. 1270–1348), Italian sculptor and architect
Andrea Prader (1919-2001), renowned Swiss scientist and physician, co-discoverer of the Prader-Willi syndrome
Andrea Prosperetti (born 1944), Italian physicist, member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering
Andrea Renzullo (born 1996), German singer
Andrea Sansovino (c. 1467–1529), Italian sculptor
Andrea Meldolla (1510/1515–1563), also known as Andrea Schiavone or Andrija Medulic, was a Dalmatian Renaissance painter and etcher
Andrea Solari (c. 1460–1524), Renaissance painter
Andrea Tacquet (1612-1660), Flemish mathematician and Jesuit priest whose work prepared the ground for the eventual discovery of the calculus
Andrea Tafi (fl. 1300–1325), Italian artist
Andrea Vesalius (1514-1564), Flemish physician, author of influential books on human anatomy and often referred to as the founder of modern human anatomy
Andrea Viterbi (born 1935), birthname of Italian-American scientist and engineer Andrew Viterbi, winner of the National Medal of Science
Andrea Zanzotto (1921-2011), Italian poet
