A phonetic spelling of Andrew, from Greek Andreas, meaning manly or brave.
Andruw is a spelling variant of Andrew that carries within its letters a quiet piece of Caribbean colonial history. The name Andrew derives from the Greek Andreas, rooted in the word aner meaning "man" — connoting courage and strength. It spread throughout the Christian world through the Apostle Andrew, the first disciple called by Jesus and the patron saint of Scotland, Russia, and Greece.
For centuries Andrew ranked among the most reliably popular names in the English-speaking world, steady and unadorned. The spelling Andruw reflects the Dutch orthographic influence that persists on the island of Curaçao, a former Dutch colony in the southern Caribbean where the name gained its most famous modern bearer: Andruw Jones, the Hall of Fame centerfielder who signed with the Atlanta Braves at sixteen and became widely regarded as the finest defensive outfielder of his generation. In Dutch-influenced naming traditions, the "w" replaces the "ew" of the English spelling, and Jones carried it into American sports culture so visibly that the variant became recognizable in its own right.
For parents drawn to Andruw, the spelling offers something that Andrew in its standard form no longer can — a sense of distinctiveness layered over deep tradition. It suggests familiarity without ordinariness, and for families with Caribbean or Dutch roots it carries genuine cultural authenticity. The name reminds us that spelling is never neutral; it is a small autobiography embedded in every introduction.