Anders is a male name in

Scandinavian languages The North Germanic languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages—a sub-family of the Indo-European languages—along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages. The language group is also r ...

and Fering North Frisian, an equivalent of the Greek

Andreas Andreas ( el, Ἀνδρέας) is a name usually given to males in Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, Armenia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Finland, Flanders, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, the Netherlands, and Indonesia. The name ...

("manly") and the English

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

. 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 Statistics Sweden ( sv, Statistiska centralbyrån ; SCB) is the Swedish government agency operating under the Ministry of Finance and responsible for producing official statistics for decision-making, debate and research. The agency's responsibi ...

, 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

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, al ...

s were converted into family names is the reason why 1 out of every 30 Swedes today is called Andersson. The

name day In Christianity, a name day is a tradition in many countries of Europe and the Americas, among other parts of Christendom. It consists of celebrating a day of the year that is associated with one's baptismal name, which is normatively that of ...

of Anders in the Scandinavian calendar is 30 November, and in the old peasant superstition that day was important for determining what the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

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 Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic American Pekin, white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit, sailor shi ...

's name is ''Anders And''. The Fering name Anders may have been borrowed from the Danish version.

People

Given name

A–E

* Anders Aarum (born 1974), Norwegian jazz pianist *

Anders Aalborg Anders Olav Aalborg (August 24, 1914 – February 13, 2000) was a teacher and a politician from Alberta, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1948 to 1971 as a member of the Social Credit caucus, and served in the cabine ...

(1914–2000), Canadian teacher and politician * Anders Ahlgren (1888–1976), Swedish Greco-Roman wrestler * Anders Andersen (1912–2006), Danish politician * Anders Antonsen (born 1997), Danish badminton player *

Anders Anundsen Anders Anundsen (born 17 November 1975) is a Norwegian politician for the Progress Party who served as Minister of Justice from 2013 to 2016. He was also a member of the Norwegian parliament, representing Vestfold from 2005 to 2017. A juri ...

(born 1975), Norwegian politician *

Anders Aplin Anders Aplin is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays as a defender for Singapore Premier League club Hougang United and the Singapore national team. Club career Youth career Anders was part of the Singapore Sports School's inau ...

(born 1991), Singapore football player *

Anders Arborelius Lars Anders Cardinal Arborelius (; born 24 September 1949) is a Swedish Catholic cardinal. He has been Bishop of Stockholm since 1998. Pope Francis made him a cardinal, the first ever from Sweden and Scandinavia, on 28 June 2017. Early life ...

(born 1949), Swedish Roman Catholic cardinal *

Anders Askevold Anders Askevold (25 December 1834 – 22 October 1900) was a Norwegian painter. His art was characterized by romantic national expression. He was best known for his fjord landscapes from Western Norway. Biography Anders Monsen Askevold was ...

(1834–1900), Norwegian painter *

Anders August Anders Frithiof August (born 15 June 1978 in Copenhagen) is a Danish screenwriter, graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 2007. He wrote the short film '' The Pig'', that was nominated for an Oscar in 2009. In 2011 he won the ...

(born 1978), Danish screenwriter *

Anders Aukland Anders Aukland (born 12 September 1972 in Tønsberg) is a professional Norwegian cross-country skier who has won both Olympic and World Championship gold medals. He lives in Oslo. Aukland also used to compete in athletics, and is a former nat ...

(born 1972), Norwegian cross-country skier * Anders Bjork, American

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

player for the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conf ...

Anders Björklund Anders Björklund' (born 11 July 1945) is a Swedish neuroscientist and pioneer in the study of cell- and gene-based reparative and neuroprotective mechanisms in the brain. He has spent his academic career at Lund University in Sweden, as profess ...

(born 1945), Swedish neuroscientist *

Anders Björler Anders Björler (born 26 February 1973) is a Swedish musician, composer and film director. He is best known as the guitar player in the metal bands The Haunted and At the Gates, alongside his bass-playing twin brother Jonas Björler. Björle ...

(born 1973), Swedish musician and songwriter * Anders Blume (born in 1985), Danish CS:GO commentator *

Anders Behring Breivik Fjotolf Hansen (born 13 February 1979), better known by his birth name Anders Behring Breivik () and by his pseudonym Andrew Berwick, is a Norwegian far-right domestic terrorist, known for committing the 2011 Norway attacks on 22 July 2011. On ...

(born 1979), Norwegian terrorist and right-wing extremist * Anders Boesen (born 1976), Danish badminton player * Anders Brännström (born 1957), Swedish Army major general * Anders Callert (born 1965), Swedish Army major general *

Anders Carlson (American football) Anders Bjorn Carlson (born June 16, 1998) is an American football placekicker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Auburn. As a placekicker, he has been recognized as both a high school a ...

(born 1998), American football player * Anders Carlsson (ice hockey) (born 1960), "Masken", Swedish ice hockey player *

Anders Celsius Anders Celsius (; 27 November 170125 April 1744) was a Swedish astronomer, physicist and mathematician. He was professor of astronomy at Uppsala University from 1730 to 1744, but traveled from 1732 to 1735 visiting notable observatories in Germa ...

(1701–1744), Swedish astronomer *

Anders Danielsen Lie Anders Danielsen Lie (born 1 January 1979) is a Norwegian actor, musician and medical doctor. Education Danielsen Lie studied Ancient Greek (1997-1998), musicology (2001-2003) and medicine (1999-2007) at the University of Oslo. Career Acting ...

(born 1979), Norwegian actor, musician and medical doctor *

Anders Eklund (boxer) Anders Eklund (22 December 1957 – 1 April 2010) was a Swedish boxer. He was nicknamed ''Lillen'' (Swedish: "Tiny"), but later chose the nickname "Viking". Eklund was born in Gävle. He competed in the Heavyweight division (91 kg) at t ...

(1957–2010), Swedish boxer * Anders Eriksson (born 1975), Swedish ice hockey player

F–L

Anders Fannemel Anders Fannemel (; born 13 May 1991) is a Norwegian ski jumper. He is a former ski flying world record holder, with set in Vikersund on 15 February 2015. Career Fannemel started ski jumping when he was 14 years old, which is rather late ...

(born 1991), Norwegian ski jumper * Anders Frandsen (1960-c. 2012), Danish actor and musician, Danish representative in the

1991 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 1991 was the 36th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Rome, Italy, following the country's victory at the with the song " Insieme: 1992" by Toto Cutugno and was organised by the European Br ...

Anders Fridén Pär Anders Fridén (born 25 March 1973) is a Swedish vocalist, best known as the lead singer of heavy metal band In Flames. He was also the vocalist of Dark Tranquillity and Passenger, a side project. Career Early career Fridén was original ...

(born 1973), Swedish death metal singer for the band In Flames *

Anders Gärderud Sven Anders Gärderud (born 28 August 1946) is a Swedish former track and field athlete, winner of the 3000 m steeplechase event at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Gärderud was born to an orienteering competitor, and was an accomplished ...

(born 1946), Swedish steeplechase runner *

Anders Abraham Grafström Anders Abraham Grafström (10 January 1790 – 24 July 1870) was a Swedish historian, priest and poet. Life Grafström was born in Sundsvall in Västernorrland County, Sweden. He studied at Uppsala University, where he was enrolled in 18 ...

(1790–1870), Swedish poet and historian * Anders Hedberg (born 1951), Swedish pioneering ice hockey player * Anders Hejlsberg (born 1960), Danish software engineer *

Anders Holm Anders Christian Holm (born May 29, 1981) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is one of the stars and creators of the Comedy Central show '' Workaholics'' and starred in the short-lived NBC series '' Champions''. He, along ...

, American writer and one of the stars and creators of the Comedy Central show ''Workaholics'' *

Anders Holmertz Anders Holmertz (born 1 December 1968) is a Swedish retired swimmer who was a leader in freestyle (200 and 400 meters) races in the 1980s and at the beginning of the 1990s, though often missing personal success. He also settled a record in the 40 ...

(born 1968), Swedish retired swimmer, twice freestyle world champion * Anders Jacobsen (ski jumper) (born 1985), Norwegian ski jumper * Anders Järryd (born 1961), Swedish former tennis doubles player, winner of eight Grand Slam titles * Anders Kaliff (born 1963), Swedish archaeologist * Anders Kraft (born 1968), Swedish journalist and news anchor *

Anders Lange Anders Sigurd Lange (5 September 1904 – 18 October 1974) was a Norwegian political organiser, speaker and editor who led his eponymously named political party Anders Lange's Party into parliament in 1973. Educated as a forestry technician ...

(1904–1974), Norwegian politician * Anders Langlands, visual effects supervisor * Anders Lee (born 1990), American ice hockey player for the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

* Anders Limpar (born 1965), Swedish footballer * Anders Lindegaard (born 1984), Danish footballer *

Anders Linderoth Anders Karl Gustaf Linderoth (born 21 March 1950) is a Swedish football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is best remembered for representing Helsingsborgs IF, Östers IF, Marseille, and Mjällby AIF during a club career t ...

(born 1950), Swedish professional football player and coach *

Anders Lindström Anders Lindström, or Boba Fett, as he is often called, is a Swedish rock musician most known for being the organist and pianist of the Swedish rock band The Hellacopters and co-founder and guitarist of The Diamond Dogs. Life and career Lindst ...

(born 1969), Swedish rock guitarist and pianist *

(born 1955), Swedish Army officer * Anders Lustgarten, British playwright * Anders Olson Lysne (1764-1803), Norwegian rebel leader

M–Z

Anders Nilsen (disambiguation) Anders Nilsen may refer to: *Anders Nilsen (cartoonist) Anders Nilsen (born 1973) is an American cartoonist who lives in Los Angeles, California. Biography Nilsen graduated with an art degree from the University of New Mexico in 1996.Nilsen, ...

, multiple people *

Anders Örne Anders Örne (1881–1956) was a Swedish politician who served as the minister of communications (transport) between 1921 and 1923. He also headed the Cooperative Society and Post Office Administration. In addition, he was a member of the Socia ...

(1881–1956), Swedish politician * Anders Österberg (born 1981), Swedish politician * Anders Holch Povlsen (born 1972), Danish billionaire, CEO and sole owner of the international retail clothing chain Bestseller *

Anders Sandøe Ørsted Anders Sandøe Ørsted (21 December 1778 – 1 May 1860) was a Danish lawyer, politician and jurist. He served as the Prime Minister of Denmark in 1853–1854. Biography He studied philosophy and law at the University of Copenhagen and wa ...

(1778–1860), Danish politician and jurist, Prime Minister of Denmark (1853–1854) *

Anders Sandøe Ørsted (botanist) Anders Sandøe Ørsted, also written as ''Anders Sandoe Oersted'' or ''Anders Sandö Örsted'' (21 June 1816 – 3 September 1872) was a Danish botanist, mycologist, zoologist and marine biologist. He was the nephew of physicist Hans Christian ...

(1816–1872), Danish botanist, mycologist, zoologist and marine biologist, nephew of the prime minister * Anders Rapp (1927–1998), Swedish geographer *

Anders Fogh Rasmussen Anders Fogh Rasmussen (; born 26 January 1953) is a Danish politician who was the 24th Prime Minister of Denmark from November 2001 to April 2009 and the 12th Secretary General of NATO from August 2009 to October 2014. He became CEO of politi ...

(born 1953), Danish politician, Secretary General of NATO *

Anders Södergren Hans Anders Södergren (born 17 May 1977 in Söderhamn, Hälsingland) is a Swedish cross-country skier who has competed since 1999. He earned a bronze medal in the 4 × 10 km relay at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and also finished 5 ...

(born 1977), Swedish cross-country skier * Anders Svensson (bandy) (born 1975), Swedish bandy player *

Anders Svensson (canoeist) Anders Svensson (born June 9, 1977) is a Swedish sprint canoer who competed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He won a bronze medal in the K-4 500 m event at the 1997 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Dartmouth. Svensson also compe ...

(born 1977), Swedish canoer *

Anders Svensson (footballer, born 1976) Anders Gunnar Svensson (; born 17 July 1976) is a Swedish former professional footballer. He was a central midfielder, known for his passing, free kicks, and set piece-taking abilities, who usually operated in a playmaking role. He was capped ...

, Swedish footballer *

Anders Svensson (footballer, born 1939) Anders Svensson (27 March 1939 – 6 December 2007) was a Swedish footballer who played as a midfielder. He played for Malmö FF, PSV and Örgryte IS Örgryte Idrottssällskap, commonly referred to as Örgryte IS, Örgryte () or (especially l ...

(1939–2007), Swedish footballer *

Anders Sunesen Anders Sunesen (also ''Andreas'', ''Suneson'', ''Sunesøn'', Latin: ''Andreas Sunonis'') (c. 1167 – 1228) was a Danish archbishop of Lund, Scania, from 21 March 1201, at the death of Absalon, to his own death in 1228. He is the author of ...

(c. 1167–1228), Danish archbishop * Anders Erikson Sparrman (1748–1820), Swedish naturalist and abolitionist * Anders Szalkai (born 1970), Swedish retired long-distance runner *

Anders Thunborg Anders Thunborg (1934–December 2004) was a Swedish social democratic politician and diplomat. He served as the defense minister between 1983 and 1985. He was also Swedish ambassador to the United Nations, Moscow, Washington and the Vatican Cit ...

(1934–2004), Swedish politician and diplomat * Anders Wijkman (born 1944), Swedish politician *

Anders Zorn Anders Leonard Zorn (18 February 1860 – 22 August 1920) was a Swedish painter. He attained international success as a painter, sculptor, and etching artist. Among Zorn's portrait subjects include King Oscar II of Sweden and three American ...

(1860–1920), Swedish painter, sculptor and printmaker

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

Allison Anders Allison Anders (born November 16, 1954) is an American independent film director whose films include ''Gas Food Lodging'', ''Mi Vida Loca'' and ''Grace of My Heart''. Anders has collaborated with fellow UCLA School of Theater, Film and Televisio ...

(born 1954), American film and television director *

Andrea Anders Andrea Anders (born May 10, 1975) is an American actress. She is best known for her work on television, notably through her main roles on five anticipated but short-lived sitcoms, ''Joey'', '' The Class'', ''Better Off Ted'', '' Mr. Sunshine'' and ...

(born 1975), American actress *

Andy Anders John F. "Andy" Anders is an American politician, who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for the 21st district from 2006 to 2020. Education Anders earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agribusiness from the Louisian ...

(born 1956), Louisiana state representative * Benny Anders (born 1963), American basketball player * Christian Anders (born 1945), Austrian singer and composer * Ernst Anders (1845–1911), German painter *

Eryk Anders Eryk Ryan Anders (born April 21, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former American football linebacker. He competes in the Middleweight division of the UFC. He played college football at the University of Alabama. Ear ...

(born 1987), American mixed martial artist * Frank L. Anders (1875–1966), U.S. Army soldier awarded the Medal of Honor *

Günther Anders Günther Anders (born Günther Siegmund Stern, 12 July 1902 – 17 December 1992) was a German-Austrian Jewish émigré, philosopher, essayist and journalist. Trained in the phenomenological tradition, he developed a philosophical anthropolog ...

(1902–1992), German thinker *

Günther Anders (cinematographer) Günther Anders (born 8 November 1908 in Berlin;The birthdate 12 July 1902 in Breslau given by the IMDb refers to the philosopher Günther Anders died 16 September 1977 in Munich) was a German cameraman and cinematographer. Life Anders was the s ...

(1908–1977), German cinematographer *

Merry Anders Merry Anders (born Mary Helen Anderson; May 22, 1934 – October 28, 2012) was an American actress and model who appeared in a number of television programs and films from the 1950s until her retirement from the screen in 1972. Early life Ander ...

(1932–2012), American actress *

Peter Anders (tenor) Peter Anders (1 July 1908 – 10 September 1954) was a German operatic tenor who sang a wide range of parts in the German, Italian, and French repertories. He began by singing lyric roles and later took dramatic roles with equal success. He was ...

(1908–1954), German operatic tenor *

Rob Anders Robert J. "Rob" Anders (born April 1, 1972) is a Canadian former politician. He represented the riding of Calgary West from 1997 until 2015 and was a founding member of the Conservative Party of Canada. On April 12, 2014, Anders was defeated by ...

(born 1972), Canadian politician *

Thomas Anders Bernd Weidung (born 1 March 1963), known by his stage name Thomas Anders, is a German singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the pop duo Modern Talking. Starting his singing career while still in school ...

(born 1963), stage name of German singer Bernd Weidung *

William Anders William Alison Anders (born 17 October 1933) is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) major general, former electrical engineer, nuclear engineer, NASA astronaut, and businessman. In December 1968, he was a member of the crew of Apollo 8, t ...

(born 1933), Apollo 8 astronaut, former U.S. Air Force officer, and businessman *

Władysław Anders ) , birth_name = Władysław Albert Anders , birth_date = , birth_place = Krośniewice-Błonie, Warsaw Governorate, Congress Poland, Russian Empire , death_date = , death_place = London, England, United Kingdom , serviceyear ...

(1892–1970), Polish general and politician

Stage name

* Anders (singer), Canadian R&B 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 Joseph Anders is a fictional character from the ABC television series ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. Portrayed by Lee Bergere, the character is introduced in the series' 1981 pilot episode as the majordomo of Denver oil tyc ...

, a character in the U.S. TV series ''Dynasty'' and its reboot

References

{{given name, type=both Scandinavian masculine given names Danish masculine given names Norwegian masculine given names Masculine given names Swedish masculine given names Surnames from given names