Given name & surname
Anders
“manly; a warrior”·“the son of Andrew”
Anders is a form of Andrew. One Greek interpretation is “manly; a warrior.” Anders is a variant of Anderson. One English interpretation is “the son of Andrew.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Anders is a form of Andrew. One Greek interpretation is “manly; a warrior.” Anders is a variant of Anderson. One English interpretation is “the son of Andrew.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Anders is a form of Andrew. An origin associated with Andrew is Greek. Anders is a variant of Anderson. An origin associated with Anderson is English.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Scandinavian use, Anders is used as a form of Andrew.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Anders through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 8,031
- 8,026 boys · 5 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 316 babies
- 2025
- 232
- #984 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −1%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 232 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 984 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 0.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 316 in 2014. In 2025, Minnesota had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (24). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 6,937 as a first name in 2020; 14,889 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Anders’s family of names
In Swedish usage, Anders has a diminutive in Anne. In Norwegian Bokmål usage, Anders shares a linguistic root with the English form Andrew. Anders has a related form in Anderson.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Anders has relatives in 16 languages.
19 related names in 16 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 34
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Andrewcognate · English
- Andresdoublet · Norwegian Bokmål
- Andreacognate · Italian
- Andreequivalent
- Anderequivalent
- Andersen“son of” surname · English
- Andreyequivalent
- AndrejCzech
Show 26 moreShow fewer
- Andersson“son of” surname · Norwegian Bokmål
- Andriyequivalent
- AndrzejPolish
- AndrusEstonian
- Andorequivalent
- Andrejsequivalent
- Ondrejequivalent
- Andreuequivalent
- Androwequivalent
- Andriusequivalent
- Андрійequivalent
- Anderssen“son of” surname · Norwegian Bokmål
- АндрейRussian
- Annassiborrowing · Greenlandic
- ΑνδρέαςGreek
- AnderßGerman
- Andrédoublet · Portuguese, French
- Andréscognate · Spanish
- OndřejCzech
- Andréasequivalent
- Andrásequivalent
- Andriejusequivalent
- Anndraequivalent
- Anttiequivalent
- Drejcequivalent
- Ἀνδρέαςroot · Ancient Greek
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Anders
- Anders CelsiusSwedish astronomer, physicist, and naturalist (1701-1744)
- Anders Fogh Rasmussenformer Prime Minister of Denmark and former Secretary General of NATOborn 1953
- Anders Jonas ÅngströmSwedish physicist1814–1874
- Anders ZornSwedish painter and engraver (1860-1920)
- Anders LindegaardDanish footballer (born 1984)
- Anders SvenssonSwedish footballerborn 1976
- Anders ArboreliusRoman Catholic Bishop of Stockholm, Sweden (1949-)
- Anders BardalNorwegian ski jumperborn 1982
- Anders Gustaf EkebergSwedish chemist1767–1813
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Anders, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Sven
“a youthful man; a lad”
>99% boys
Viggo
“battle”
>99% boys
Mikkel
“who is like God?”
>99% boys
Oskari
“spear of god”
>99% boys
Torbe(r)n
—
Greger
“watchful” · “one who is vigilant; watch-”
90% boys · 10% girls
Frode
“a wise man”
99% boys · 1% girls
Bjørn
“bear”
>99% boys