A spelling variant of Andrew, from Greek Andreas meaning manly or brave.
Andru is a phonetic respelling of Andrew, one of the most durable masculine names in the Western canon. Andrew derives from the Greek Andreas, built on the root anēr (genitive andros), simply meaning man — in the classical sense of a full human being at the height of his powers, with connotations of courage and strength. The name entered Christianity at the highest level: Andrew was among the first disciples called by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark, and in the Johannine tradition he introduces his brother Simon Peter to Christ — making him, as Eastern Orthodox theology emphasizes, the 'Protokletos,' the first-called.
The canonical Andrew became one of the most internationally venerated saints in Christendom. He is the patron of Scotland, Russia, Greece, Ukraine, Romania, and several other nations, his saltire cross (the X-shaped cross on which tradition holds he was martyred) appearing on the Scottish flag and incorporated into the Union Jack. In the medieval and early modern periods Andrew was among the most common names across Europe in its local forms: André, Andrei, Andreas, Andrés, Andrzej.
The English Andrew has remained a steady, well-loved choice across centuries. The Andru spelling emerged as part of the broader 20th-century trend of phonetic respellings that personalize classic names without altering their sound or pronunciation. It gives a familiar name a slightly edgier visual character — the dropped 'ew' ending makes it look more compact and contemporary on a page. For parents who love the history and resonance of Andrew but want a name that signals something slightly outside the conventional, Andru threads that needle with ease.