Feminine form of Andrew, from Greek 'andreios' meaning brave or courageous.
Andra is a sleek, spare feminine adaptation of Andrew, whose Greek root Andreas derives from andreios, meaning manly, brave, or courageous — itself from the Greek aner (man, in the sense of human being in full strength). Andrew is among the most globally distributed masculine names in the Christian tradition, carried by the apostle who became patron saint of Scotland, Russia, Greece, and Romania, among others. Andra strips the name to its melodic core, creating something that reads as both a feminization and an independent identity.
In Romanian and some other Eastern European traditions, Andra is a fully established feminine given name with its own long history, unambiguously distinct from its masculine root. The Romanian singer Andra (born Andreea Irina Măruță) brought the name considerable visibility in the early twenty-first century, making it widely recognized across Southeastern Europe. In Scandinavian contexts it sometimes appears as a variant of Andrea, while in English-speaking countries it carries a quietly androgynous modernity.
What makes Andra particularly interesting is how it collapses gender distinctions while retaining etymological force: the word for courage and human strength, simply stated. In an era when parents increasingly favor names that feel strong but not gender-prescriptive, Andra achieves this with historical backing rather than invention. It sounds contemporary while having roots that stretch back to ancient Greek civilization — a name at once of the moment and outside of time.