Andrea

If you’re looking for an amazing “A” name for your baby boy, consider the gender-neutral name Andrea. Stemming from the Greek name Andréas, it actually means “manly,” so it’s a natural choice for parents-to-be looking for a strong yet elegant — and somewhat unusual — boy name.

Surprised to hear that Andrea is a boy name? The fact is, Andrea is well-established as a masculine name in many European countries and is especially common in Italy, and while it’s certainly been a more popular choice for girls in the United States, the name did sustain a 30-plus-year run on the Social Security Administration’s Top 1000 baby names list for boys. Starting in 1956, Andrea squeaked onto the list at number 946 and stayed on the list until 1989, when it ranked number 884. It reached peak popularity in 1976 when it ranked number 601. (By comparison, the name Andrea ranked number 25 for girls that same year and reached its high of 23 just two years later.)

There’s a long list of famous Italian men named Andrea, but the one you may be most familiar with is Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli. Andrea also has a royal pedigree: Princess Caroline of Monaco named her oldest son Andrea.