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.
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. According to Statistics Sweden, as of 31 December 2021 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, 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.
Contents
People
Given name
Anders Aarum (born 1974), Norwegian jazz pianist
Anders Aalborg (1914–2000), Canadian teacher and politician
Anders Ådahl (born 1972), Swedish politician
Anders Ahlgren (1888–1976), Swedish Greco-Roman wrestler
Anders Andersen (1912–2006), Danish politician
Anders Antonsen (born 1997), Danish badminton player
Anders Anundsen (born 1975), Norwegian politician
Anders Aplin (born 1991), Singapore football player
Anders Arborelius (born 1949), Swedish Roman Catholic cardinal
Anders Askevold (1834–1900), Norwegian painter
Anders August (born 1978), Danish screenwriter
Anders Aukland (born 1972), Norwegian cross-country skier
Anders Bjork, American football player
Anders Björklund (born 1945), Swedish neuroscientist
Anders Björler (born 1973), Swedish musician and songwriter
Anders Blume (born in 1985), Danish CS:GO commentator
Anders Behring Breivik (born 1979), Norwegian terrorist and right-wing extremist
Middle name
Bengtolle Oldinger (1911–1988), born as Bengt Anders Valter Oldinger, Swedish painter
Paul Anders Ogren (born 1951), American carpenter, farmer, and politician
David Anders Holt (born 1981), known as David Anders, American actor
Surname
Allison Anders (born 1954), American film and television director
Andrea Anders (born 1975), American actress
Andy Anders (born 1956), Louisiana state representative
Benny Anders (born 1963), American basketball player
Christian Anders (born 1945), Austrian singer and composer
Edward Anders (1926–2025), Latvian-born American geochemist and historian of the Holocaust
Ernst Anders (1845–1911), German painter
Eryk Anders (born 1987), American mixed martial artist
Frank L. Anders (1875–1966), U.S. Army soldier awarded the Medal of Honor
Fritz Anders (aviator) (1889–1919), German World War I flying ace
Fritz Anders (geneticist) (1919–1999), German geneticist and molecular biologist
Günther Anders (1902–1992), German thinker
Günther Anders (cinematographer) (1908–1977), German cinematographer
Helga Anders (1948–1986), Austrian actress
Ira Anders (1942–2025), American politician in Missouri
Joe Anders (born 2003), American-British actor
Merry Anders (1932–2012), American actress
Stage name
Anders (singer), Canadian singer and songwriter
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
Kory Anders, civilian name for DC Comics superheroine Starfire
Anders 'Dup' DuPlessis, a character in the UK ITV Series "Wild at Heart", played by the actor Dion Stewardson
