Head to head · Girls' names
Andrea vs Nyla
#235 vs #236 in 2025
Andrea is a whisker ahead (#235 vs #236 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Andrea is stepping back from its peak, Nyla is holding its place on the charts. On momentum, Nyla 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 5 measures of 6; Nyla 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: Andrea #885, Nyla — — Andrea higher
- 1890s: Andrea #887, Nyla — — Andrea higher
- 1900s: Andrea #891, Nyla — — Andrea higher
- 1910s: Andrea #801, Nyla #3222 — Andrea higher
- 1920s: Andrea #678, Nyla #1768 — Andrea higher
- 1930s: Andrea #506, Nyla #1204 — Andrea higher
- 1940s: Andrea #164, Nyla #1174 — Andrea higher
- 1950s: Andrea #133, Nyla #1352 — Andrea higher
- 1960s: Andrea #75, Nyla #2452 — Andrea higher
- 1970s: Andrea #30, Nyla #3718 — Andrea higher
- 1980s: Andrea #32, Nyla #4364 — Andrea higher
- 1990s: Andrea #51, Nyla #2924 — Andrea higher
- 2000s: Andrea #61, Nyla #523 — Andrea higher
- 2010s: Andrea #115, Nyla #316 — Andrea higher
- 2020s: Andrea #179, Nyla #238 — Andrea higher
Andrea stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Andrea | Nyla |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #885 | — |
| 1890s | #887 | — |
| 1900s | #891 | — |
| 1910s | #801 | #3222 |
| 1920s | #678 | #1768 |
| 1930s | #506 | #1204 |
| 1940s | #164 | #1174 |
| 1950s | #133 | #1352 |
| 1960s | #75 | #2452 |
| 1970s | #30 | #3718 |
| 1980s | #32 | #4364 |
| 1990s | #51 | #2924 |
| 2000s | #61 | #523 |
| 2010s | #115 | #316 |
| 2020s | #179 | #238 |
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
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.
Nyla
"one who attains" (Arabic) or "dark blue" (Sanskrit), depending on which root you follow
Two serious readings sit behind the same spelling. Nyla is a common English respelling of the Arabic Nāʾila (نائلة), from a root meaning to attain or obtain — so "achiever, one who wins what she seeks." It is also written for Nila or Neela, from Sanskrit nīla, "dark blue, indigo" — the same word behind the indigo plant. A third path is simply English sound-building, on the pattern of Kyla, Lyla and Layla, where no meaning is intended at all. Families choose which line they mean; the spelling does not decide it.
Nāʾila → Naila → Nyla
How it traveled
Nāʾila is a classical Arabic name of long standing, and it traveled with Arabic-speaking and Muslim communities into English-speaking countries, where it was written many ways — Naila, Nailah, Nyla. Separately, nīla, the Sanskrit word for dark blue, gave South Asia the name Nila or Neela, which also reached English spelling as Nyla.
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
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.
Nyla
NY-lah
First syllable rhymes with "my." Families using the Arabic Nāʾila may say nah-EE-lah, and those using the South Asian Nila or Neela say NEE-lah — worth deciding early, since the spelling supports all three.
- Ny — The usual informal clip, used at home and among friends; rarely written down.
- Nylie — An affectionate lengthening, most often used by family with young children.
- Ny-Ny — A doubled nursery form, common in early childhood and usually dropped later.
Who has carried each name
Andrea
Andrea Ghez (b. 1965) — Nobel-winning astronomer who proved our galaxy has a giant black hole
Nyla
No documented entry for Nyla yet.
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 Andrea if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsAndrea is stepping back from its peak
- a name with more sound in itAndrea runs 3 syllables, Nyla 2
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Andi, Andie and Drea
Choose Nyla if you want…
- a name on the way upup 11 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesNyla is 2 syllables to Andrea's 3
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
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.
Nyla
Strengths
- Two syllables, phonetic in English: most people read NY-lah correctly on first sight without being told.
- Sits in a well-known sound family alongside Lyla, Kyla and Layla, so the shape is already familiar to American ears.
- Has real standing in Arabic and South Asian naming traditions as well as English, which travels well across families.
To consider
- The spelling competes with Nyla, Nila, Naila and Nailah, all pronounced somewhat differently. Expect to spell it and occasionally to correct the vowel — a short, repeatable correction, but a lifelong one.
- Because the sound-alikes are everywhere — Lyla, Layla, Kyla, Mila — she may be called by a neighboring name now and then, particularly in a classroom or on a roll call.
- The meaning depends on which root a family claims. That is worth settling for yourselves, since relatives may assume a different one than you intended.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Andrea
25%chance Andrea feels dated by 2040
Andrea peaked long ago yet still holds steady — names that survive their own wave usually settle into quiet, durable classics.
Nyla
40%chance Nyla feels dated by 2040
Nyla sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
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 Andrea and Nyla 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 Andrea and Nyla?
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Generation X names (born 1965–1980)
- Millennial names (born 1981–1996)
- Generation Z names (born 1997–2012)
- Spanish and Latin names with warmth
- all guides
Where Andrea and Nyla each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Andrea or Nyla — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Andrea or Nyla?
- Andrea, in 2025: Andrea ranked #235 with 1,317 babies; Nyla ranked #236 with 1,315 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Andrea or Nyla?
- Nyla. Over the last five years Andrea moved down 86 places; Nyla moved up 11 places.
- Which is the older name, Andrea or Nyla?
- Andrea entered the US charts in 1881; Nyla entered the US charts in 1915. On the American record, Andrea is the older name.
- How many people are named Andrea and Nyla?
- About 417,000 people named Andrea are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 26,500 people named Nyla are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Andreas or Nylas in the classroom?
- Andrea will almost certainly be the only one in school. Nyla 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
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