Anders
PronunciationDanish: [ˈɑnɐs]
Swedish: [ˈânːdɛʂ]
Norwegian: [ˈɑ̂nːəʂ]
GenderMale
Language(s)Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Other names
See alsoAndreas, Andrew, Andres

Anders is a male name in Scandinavian languages and Fering North Frisian, an equivalent of the Greek Andreas ("manly") and the English Andrew. It originated from Andres via metathesis.[1]

In Sweden, Anders has been one of the most common names for many centuries, earliest attested in 1378. It was common for priests and farmers during medieval times.[1] According to Statistics Sweden, as of 31 December 2002 it ranks 4th among the male names. The great frequency of this name at the point in time (around 1900) when patronymics were converted into family names is the reason why 1 out of every 30 Swedes today is called Andersson.

The name day of Anders in the Scandinavian calendar is 30 November,[1] and in the old peasant superstition that day was important for determining what the Christmas weather would be. If it was very cold on 30 November there would be much sleet on Christmas (and vice versa).

In Denmark Donald Duck's name is Anders And.

The Fering name Anders may have been borrowed from the Danish version.[2]

People

Given name

A–E

F–L

M–Z

Middle name

  • Paul Anders Ogren (born 1951), American carpenter, farmer, and politician
  • David Anders Holt (born 1981), known professionally as David Anders, American television and stage actor

Surname

Stage name

Fictional characters

  • Anders (Dragon Age), a character in the Dragon Age video game series
  • Andurs, a Nord priest of Arkay, and Anders (deceased bandit), characters in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, a game heavily influenced by Scandinavian culture
  • Captain Leslie Anders, supporting character in the 1968 movie ”Ice Station Zebra”, played by the actor Jim Brown.
  • Joseph Anders, a character in the U.S. TV series Dynasty and its reboot

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Anders". Swedish Institute for Language and Folklore (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2020-09-28. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  2. Faltings, Volkert F., ed. (1985). Kleine Namenkunde für Föhr und Amrum [A little Etymology for Föhr and Amrum] (in German). Hamburg: Helmut Buske. p. 38. ISBN 3-87118-680-5.
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