Andrea
Andrea is a personal name common in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. It is the feminine form of Andrew which in turn comes from a Greek word meaning manly (ανερ means man). In Italy, however, Andrea is a masculine name, the equivalent of Andrew. The common Portuguese and Brazilian variation is Andreia.The name Andrea has acquired an arguably unfair reputation of stereotypically belonging to someone older and more nerdy in recent years and anecdotal evidence points to the popularity of Beverly Hills 90210 and its fictional character of Andrea Zuckerman (played by Gabrielle Carteris), who was indeed a mousey nerdy type, being a major influence on this perception.
Common nicknames for Andrea include Andie, Andi and Drea. The name is (rarely) alternately spelled "Andria." Pronunciations of the name vary in whether the "A" and "E" are long or short, as well on which syllable the emphasis lies.
Another prominent fictional Andrea (though played by a real Andrea, Andrea Byrne) was in the 1980s children's television programme You Can't Do That on Television, which in its - later banned - "Adoption" episode, parodied the character of Little Orphan Annie as "Little Orphan Andrea".
- For the Australian radio broadcaster known as "Andrea", see Dorothy Jenner.