Andy
Meaning
pet form of Andrew, "manly, brave"
Famously borne by Andy Warhol, who turned soup cans and celebrity silkscreens into the face of Pop Art. Carried by Andy Lau of the Four Heavenly Kings.
The story
Andy is the pet form of Andrew that earned its own certificate, manly and brave in the old Greek, and the record shows a full American century of it: about 2,200 a decade by the 1910s, 7,000 in the 1950s, 12,300 in the 1960s, and a second wave that crested at about 18,000 in the 2000s, the decade after a cowboy doll's owner taught every child in America to write the name on a boot. It has settled since, 11,500 in the 2010s and 4,000 so far this decade, and it goes to boys about 93,700 to 1,300 all-time. Andrew, the formal source, is one of the ledger's giants at about 1,328,400 with its own story here. Some nicknames visit the certificate; Andy moved in, a hundred years ago, and never left.
The formal names behind Andy
Andy is also an established short form of this name.
Andrea · Greek origin · brave (from Greek andreios, 'manly, courageous'); a feminine classic across the Spanish-speaking world and one of the Philippines' most beloved girls' names
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Andy peaked in the 2000s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
748 people · the #10,124 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 250,000 · median age 20
Among people named Andy living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 73 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Andy
Most people given the name Andy in the United States were born between 1960 and 2009. The Andy you meet today is most often in his 20s or 30s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Andy deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Andy truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Andy fits with your family’s names and surname.
The meeting point
Manliness in Greek; bliss in Sanskrit.
Andrew · short for Andrew, Greek andreios, "manly"
Anand · the Indian names Anand (Sanskrit ānanda, "bliss") and Anindya are also sometimes shortened to Andy
Where Andy travels
Vietnamese American · manly, brave (short for Andrew); a common refugee-generation English name
Cantonese and Hong Kong · pet form of Andrew, 'manly, brave' (Greek Andreas); a borrowed English name in Hong Kong
Keep exploring
Names like Andy · Vietnamese American baby names · Cantonese and Hong Kong baby names · Iconic movie character names · Short names
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