Dru
Dru was the 2366th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 58 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 1252nd with 99 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,963 places. More babies were named Dru in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Drew) short for Andrew, or Frankish Drogo · Germanic, Greek, English
- Rank in 2025
- #2,366 boys, up 109 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 58boys
- Girls and boys
- 39% girls, 61% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 199999 babies
- Total since 1880
- 4,654babies recorded
What does the name Dru mean?
Dru is a spelling of Drew, pronounced the same way, so it shares Drew's meaning and origin.
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)
Dru popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,594 | #2,366 | 42 | 58 |
| 2020 | #4,193 | #2,475 | 33 | 52 |
| 2010 | #7,626 | #2,440 | 16 | 51 |
| 2000 | #3,823 | #1,520 | 33 | 79 |
| 1990 | #7,000 | #2,390 | 12 | 29 |
| 1980 | #8,389 | #2,237 | 7 | 23 |
| 1970 | #4,302 | #1,530 | 13 | 31 |
| 1960 | #1,899 | #1,784 | 36 | 21 |
| 1950 | #1,971 | #2,834 | 24 | 8 |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Dru, counting every spelling?
Dru is a spelling of Drew, a name family that ranked #501 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,366 for Dru 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 Dru?
58 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Dru (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Dru 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 144 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Dru.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Dru?
About 2,600 people born in the US named Dru are alive today, with a median age of 27; half are between 14 and 42. That makes Dru 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.
Dru by state
How common Dru was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Louisiana (6.9×), Texas (1.6×). In 44 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Dru: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Dru, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Dru
What does Dru mean?
Dru is a spelling of Drew, usually explained as “short for Andrew, or Frankish Drogo”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Dru?
Dru was the 2366th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 58 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 1252nd with 99 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,963 places. More babies were named Dru in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Dru a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 39% girls, 61% boys given the name Dru in the US.
Where is Dru most popular?
In 2021–2025, Dru was most common in Louisiana (0.27 per 1,000 boys), followed by Texas and Maryland.