Head to head · Girls' names
Ana vs Andrea
#245 vs #235 in 2025
Andrea is a whisker ahead (#235 vs #245 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Andrea is stepping back from its peak, Ana is holding its place on the charts. On momentum, Ana has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Andrea leads 4 measures of 6; Ana leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Ana #756, Andrea #885 — Ana higher
- 1890s: Ana #971, Andrea #887 — Andrea higher
- 1900s: Ana #996, Andrea #891 — Andrea higher
- 1910s: Ana #1052, Andrea #801 — Andrea higher
- 1920s: Ana #874, Andrea #678 — Andrea higher
- 1930s: Ana #794, Andrea #506 — Andrea higher
- 1940s: Ana #704, Andrea #164 — Andrea higher
- 1950s: Ana #459, Andrea #133 — Andrea higher
- 1960s: Ana #331, Andrea #75 — Andrea higher
- 1970s: Ana #234, Andrea #30 — Andrea higher
- 1980s: Ana #180, Andrea #32 — Andrea higher
- 1990s: Ana #137, Andrea #51 — Andrea higher
- 2000s: Ana #147, Andrea #61 — Andrea higher
- 2010s: Ana #219, Andrea #115 — Andrea higher
- 2020s: Ana #226, Andrea #179 — Andrea higher
Andrea stood higher in 14 of 15 decades; Andrea has held the lead since the 1890s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Ana | Andrea |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #756 | #885 |
| 1890s | #971 | #887 |
| 1900s | #996 | #891 |
| 1910s | #1052 | #801 |
| 1920s | #874 | #678 |
| 1930s | #794 | #506 |
| 1940s | #704 | #164 |
| 1950s | #459 | #133 |
| 1960s | #331 | #75 |
| 1970s | #234 | #30 |
| 1980s | #180 | #32 |
| 1990s | #137 | #51 |
| 2000s | #147 | #61 |
| 2010s | #219 | #115 |
| 2020s | #226 | #179 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Ana
Grace
From Hebrew Hannah, 'grace, favor', through Greek and Latin Anna.
Hannah → Anna → Ana
How it traveled
Ana de Mendoza, Princess of Eboli, lost an eye as a girl and wore a patch; she became one of the most powerful figures at the court of Philip II of Spain until, in 1579, he had her arrested over a political intrigue, and she spent the rest of her life confined in her palace at Pastrana. In Angola, Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba negotiated with the Portuguese, was baptized as Ana de Sousa, and then fought them for decades to keep her kingdoms free.
Andrea
Manly, brave — from Greek andreios, from anēr, andros, 'man'
The English feminine Andrea was formed from Andrew, which descends from the same Greek root.
Andreas (Greek) → Andreas (Latin) → Andrew → Andrea
How it traveled
The Greek Andreas comes from andreios, 'manly, brave', built on anēr, 'man', and it spread across Christendom with the apostle Andrew. Latin carried it into Italian as Andrea, which is still a man's name in Italy — a fact that surprises many English speakers on their first trip there.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Ana
AH-nuh
Two syllables with the stress on the first; some English speakers say AN-uh.
- Anita — The Spanish pet form.
- Annie — The English pet form.
Andrea
AN-dree-uh
Also widely said ahn-DRAY-uh in American English, and both are standard — many bearers answer to either. In Italian it is ahn-DREH-ah, with the stress on the middle.
- Andi — The most common short form in American use; also given on its own to some children.
- Andie — Same sound, softer spelling; used informally and occasionally as a standalone name.
- Drea — Takes the second half instead of the first; informal, and mostly a younger-generation habit.
- Andy — Shared with Andrew and Andrews everywhere; informal, and read by many as a boy's short form first.
- Also Andreíta.
Who has carried each name
Ana
Ana de Armas (b. 1988) — Knives Out and Blonde star
Ana Ivanovic (b. 1987) — French Open champion
Andrea
Andrea Ghez (b. 1965) — Nobel-winning astronomer who proved our galaxy has a giant black hole
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Ana if you want…
- a name fewer children share#245 in 2025 — ana will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name with fewer syllablesAna is 2 syllables to Andrea's 3
- a long American recordAna was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Andrea if you want…
- a name most people already know#235 in 2025, 1,317 babies that year
- a name past its most crowded yearsAndrea is stepping back from its peak
- a name with more sound in itAndrea runs 3 syllables, Ana 2
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Andi, Andie and Drea
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Ana
Strengths
- Short, simple and used across many languages.
- A settled, lovely meaning.
- A long American history.
To consider
- People will write Anna.
- The pronunciation varies between AH-nuh and AN-uh.
- It is common enough that an Ana may share her name at school.
Andrea
Strengths
- Spelled the same way in English, Spanish, Italian, German and much of Central Europe — no translation, no respelling at a border.
- Several established short forms already in circulation: Andi, Andie, Drea.
- A spelling almost everyone can write on first hearing, with no silent letters or optional h.
To consider
- Two pronunciations are both correct, AN-dree-uh and ahn-DRAY-uh, which means a lifetime of gentle correcting — or of accepting whichever one a stranger reaches for.
- In Italy, Andrea is a man's name and always has been. That rarely causes trouble in the United States, but it can produce a raised eyebrow on a form abroad.
- The name is still strongly represented among adults in their forties, so it may read as a grown woman's name for a while before it reads as a child's. Names of that age tend to come back around.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Ana and Andrea in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Ana and Andrea?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap
More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Ana and Andrea — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Ana or Andrea — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Ana or Andrea?
- Andrea, in 2025: Andrea ranked #235 with 1,317 babies; Ana ranked #245 with 1,276 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Ana or Andrea?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Ana moved down 1 place; Andrea moved down 86 places.
- Which is the older name, Ana or Andrea?
- Ana was already in use when US records began in 1880; Andrea entered the US charts in 1881. On the American record, Ana is the older name.
- How many people are named Ana and Andrea?
- About 106,000 people named Ana are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 417,000 people named Andrea are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Anas or Andreas in the classroom?
- Ana will almost certainly be the only one in school. Andrea will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Ana, Andrea and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap