Drew
Drew was the 553rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 541 babies. Its best year was 1985, when it ranked 126th with 2,276 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 190 places. More babies were named Drew in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning short for Andrew, or Frankish Drogo · Germanic, Greek, English
Say it DROO /dru/
- Rank in 2025
- #553 boys, down 22 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 541boys
- Girls and boys
- 40% girls, 60% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19852,276 babies
- Total since 1880
- 88,085babies recorded
What does the name Drew mean?
Drew has two sources. It is a short form of Andrew, from Greek andreios, manly, and DMNES notes that in England Drew sometimes served as a nickname for Andrew. It is also an old name in its own right, from Norman French Dreu or Drogo, the name of a son of Charlemagne. DMNES calls Drogo of uncertain origin, perhaps related to an Old Saxon word for a phantom. Normans brought it to England, where it became a surname. Today Drew is used for both boys and girls, often as a short form of Andrew or Andrea.
drogo (Frankish, “uncertain; perhaps 'phantom' or 'to carry'”)Ἀνδρέας (Ancient Greek, “Andrew; from andreios, manly”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Two separate origins. For the medieval name Drogo, DMNES and Wiktionary both call the meaning uncertain (proposals: Old Saxon 'phantom' or Germanic 'to carry').
Related names: Andrew, Andrea, Dru, Drogo.
See also: Germanic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Drew', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Drew' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Drew popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #706 | #553 | 399 | 541 |
| 2020 | #942 | #531 | 272 | 538 |
| 2010 | #1,384 | #247 | 167 | 1,414 |
| 2000 | #803 | #188 | 283 | 1,948 |
| 1990 | #1,722 | #160 | 85 | 1,954 |
| 1980 | #8,388 | #288 | 7 | 720 |
| 1970 | #8,336 | #403 | 5 | 403 |
| 1960 | #3,754 | #328 | 12 | 553 |
| 1950 | #3,496 | #472 | 10 | 202 |
| 1940 | — | #911 | — | 49 |
| 1930 | — | #1,120 | — | 39 |
| 1920 | — | #1,431 | — | 27 |
| 1910 | — | #829 | — | 14 |
| 1900 | — | #985 | — | 8 |
| 1890 | — | #1,043 | — | 5 |
| 1880 | — | #845 | — | 6 |
How popular is Drew, counting every spelling?
Drew is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #501 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #553 for Drew on its own. Together these spellings went to 599 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drew | 541 | #553 | 2,788 |
| Dru | 58 | #2,366 | 341 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Drew?
541 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Drew (0.15 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Drew born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 16 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Drew.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Drew?
About 72,800 people born in the US named Drew are alive today, with a median age of 30; half are between 20 and 40. That makes Drew mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Drew by state
How common Drew was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in North Dakota (4.7×), Louisiana (2.9×), Utah (2.6×), Iowa (2.2×), Minnesota (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Drew: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Drew, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Drew · Sibling names for Drew
Drew is also a nickname for Andrew.
Questions about the name Drew
What does Drew mean?
Drew is usually explained as “short for Andrew, or Frankish Drogo”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Drew?
Drew was the 553rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 541 babies. Its best year was 1985, when it ranked 126th with 2,276 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 190 places. More babies were named Drew in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Drew a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 40% girls, 60% boys given the name Drew in the US.
Where is Drew most popular?
In 2021–2025, Drew was most common in North Dakota (1.52 per 1,000 boys), followed by Louisiana and Utah.