Unisex name · Greek
Drew
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: manly, braveDrew is a gender-neutral name that comes from Greek and means "manly, brave". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Manly, brave
- Origin
- Greek
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #706 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Drew
As a gender-neutral name, Drew comes from Greek and means "manly, brave". It is used in English.
Drew is also a surname: the 1,544th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 22,649 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Drew on our names that mean strong list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Drew on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Drew on 1 list.
“Short for Andrew, perfect for a boy who sketches”
From Nicknames that start with D, d nicknames for boys
How popular is Drew?
In 2025, 399 girls and 541 boys in the US were named Drew.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #706
- 399 babies, 248 per million girls
- Best rank
- #615 in 1999
- Most babies: 404 in 2024
- Babies since 1918
- At least 9,493
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 1 per million |
| 1920s | 1 per million |
| 1930s | 1 per million |
| 1940s | 3 per million |
| 1950s | 6 per million |
| 1960s | 3 per million |
| 1970s | 3 per million |
| 1980s | 41 per million |
| 1990s | 120 per million |
| 2000s | 119 per million |
| 2010s | 115 per million |
| 2020s | 217 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,166 | #1,192 | #1,280 | #1,263 | #942 | #819 | #846 | #761 | #696 | #706 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #553
- 541 babies, 317 per million boys
- Best rank
- #126 in 1985
- 2,276 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 78,592
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 65 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 33 per million |
| 1900s | 30 per million |
| 1910s | 30 per million |
| 1920s | 22 per million |
| 1930s | 29 per million |
| 1940s | 82 per million |
| 1950s | 162 per million |
| 1960s | 228 per million |
| 1970s | 252 per million |
| 1980s | 845 per million |
| 1990s | 993 per million |
| 2000s | 837 per million |
| 2010s | 515 per million |
| 2020s | 321 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #399 | #454 | #461 | #518 | #531 | #509 | #521 | #539 | #542 | #553 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Drew
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- AindreaManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- AindriúManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- AnderManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- AndersManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- AndréManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- AndreaManly, brave (Greek, girl)
- AndreasManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- AndreiManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- AndrésManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- AndrewManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- AndrianaManly, brave (Greek, girl)
- AndrzejManly, brave (Greek, boy)
Names spelled like Drew
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
Names with a similar meaning
- AmeliaPossibly vigorous, brave (Germanic, girl)
- LeonardoBrave lion (Germanic, boy)
- RicardaBrave ruler (Germanic, girl)
- BahadurBrave, valiant (Turkic, boy)
- BernadetteBrave bear (Germanic, girl)
- BernardBrave bear (Germanic, boy)
- BernardoBrave bear (Germanic, boy)
- GerardBrave spear (Germanic, boy)
- GerhardBrave spear (Germanic, boy)
- RichardBrave ruler (Germanic, boy)
- FernandaBrave journey (Germanic, girl)
- FernandoBrave journey (Germanic, boy)
- LennartBrave lion (Germanic, boy)
- LeonardBrave lion (Germanic, boy)
- RicardoBrave ruler (Germanic, boy)
Middle names for Drew
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More names from Greek
- AlexanderDefender of men (Greek, boy)
- AlexandraDefender of men (Greek, girl)
- LucasMan from Lucania (Greek, boy)
- ChristianFollower of Christ (Greek, boy)
- ElenaForm of Helen, probably from Greek torch (Greek, girl)
- IrenePeace, tranquility (Greek, girl)
- IrisA rainbow (Greek, girl)
- LeonA lion (Greek, boy)
- SofiaWisdom, skill (Greek, girl)
- SophieWisdom, skill (Greek, girl)
- ZoeLife, living (Greek, girl)
- AnastasiaResurrection, rising again (Greek, girl)
- ChristinaFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- HectorHolding fast (Greek, boy)
- NicoleVictory of the people (Greek, girl)
- PetraRock, stone (Greek, girl)
- RitaA pearl (Greek, girl)
- TheoGift of God (Greek, boy)
Drew: common questions
What does the name Drew mean?
Drew comes from Greek and means "manly, brave".
Is Drew a boy or girl name?
Drew is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 399 girls and 541 boys in the US were named Drew, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Drew come from?
Drew comes from Greek and means "manly, brave". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Drew?
Drew ranked #706 in the US in 2025, with 399 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Drew?
Forms of Drew with the same meaning and origin include Aindrea (Scottish), Aindriú (Irish), Ander (French), Anders (Scandinavian) and André (French).
What middle names go with Drew?
Middle names that flow well with Drew include Adeline, Asher, Christopher, Elliott and Leander. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.

