Andie

Model Andi Muise

She's cute and peppy, a tomboy nickname that still manages to feel feminine and intelligent. Andie seems to blend in almost effortlessly. You possibly know a few and haven't given it much thought as a name. But if you take a step back and consider it for a moment, you appreciate just how pretty and stylish it is in it's simplicity.

When I think of Andie, my mind immediately goes to Molly Ringwald in 'Pretty In Pink', or the sweet popular cheerleader in 80's favourite 'The Goonies' (OK, the second is actually Andy, but the sound is still there). That leaves me feeling that Andie and her variants are 80's names, but this isn't actually true.

In the U.S, Andi "peaked" recently in 2012 at #1436; Andie in 1995 at #1330; Andee in 1995 at #3423; and Andy in 1959 at #2345. In comparison, for boys Andee has never charted; and Andi and Andie have regularly charted for boys but not as highly as it does for girls. And then of course Andy remains super popular for boys - it hasn't ranked less than #381 since the SSA started reporting on names in 1880.

Let's chalk her popularity in 1995 up to actress Andie MacDowell. Born Rosalie Anderson MacDowell, she was extremely busy in the mid 90's. Perhaps her most memorable role was as Hugh Grants' enchanting love interest in 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'. You don't have to look very far to find plenty more examples since then. On TV we saw character Andie McPhee on 'Dawson's Creek' from 1998 to 2003, played by Meredith Monroe; and from 2007 to 2009 Missy Peregrim played Andi Prendergast on 'Reaper'. In movies Kate Hudson played main character Andie Anderson in 2003's 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days'; 2008 saw Briana Evigan play lead Andie in 'Step Up 2: The Streets'; and Emma Roberts starred as Andi in the family movie 'Hotel for Dogs' in 2009. Real life examples include Phillipine actress Andi Eigenmann, model Andie Arthur, and Victoria Secret model Andi Muise. And the latest Andi to make headlines is Andi Dorfman, current star of 'The Bachelorette' who famously walked out on 'The Bachelor' Juan Pablo Galavis for being selfish, sexist and boring.

Coming from the Greek word Andros, Andie means 'strong, man, manly or warrior'. But really, this could possibly change if you are using Andie as a nickname for a different longer name. So in case you love Andie (or my personal preference, Andi) but want something a little more "substantial" to fall back on, here are some options for you to consider:


The Familiar
Addison
Adrienne
Alexandra/Alessandra/Alexandria
Amanda
Andrea
Brandy
Candace
Candy
Cassandra
Chandler
Chandra
Fernanda
Mandy
Miranda
Randi
Sandra

The Path Less Traveled
Alandra
Amandine

Andie MacDowell

Andelyn
Andina
Andorra
Andra
Andretta
Andromeda
Briandra
Calandra
Celandine
Corisande
Deandra
England
Garland
Holland
Iolande
Ireland
Jacaranda
Jolanda / Yolanda
Landrey
Lavender
Leandra
Liliandil
Lysandra
Mandala
Melisande
Nanda
Orlanda
Pandora
Randa
Ruxandra
Sandira
Scotland
Shanandoah
Thandie
Xandie


What do you think - is Andie able to stand on her own, or would you use a longer name? What impressions do you have of Andie? Or even Andi?