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 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 responsib ...

, 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 patronymics were converted into

family name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

s is the reason why 1 out of every 30 Swedes today is called Andersson. The Name days in Sweden, 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 Rain and snow mixed, sleet on Christmas (and vice versa). In Denmark Donald Duck's name is ''Anders And''. The Föhr North Frisian, 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 (1914–2000), Canadian teacher and politician * Anders Ahlgren (1888–1976), Swedish Greco-Roman wrestler * Anders Ejnar Andersen, 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 (ice hockey), Anders Bjork, American NHL player for the Buffalo Sabres * 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 * Anders Boesen (born 1976), Danish badminton player * Anders Brännström (born 1957), Swedish Army major general * Anders Callert (born 1965), Swedish Army major general * Anders Carlsson (ice hockey) (born 1960), "Masken", Swedish ice hockey player * Anders Celsius (1701–1744), Swedish astronomer * Anders Danielsen Lie (born 1979), Norwegian actor, musician and medical doctor * Anders Eklund (boxer) (1957–2010), Swedish boxer * Anders Eriksson (ice hockey b. 1975), Anders Eriksson (born 1975), Swedish ice hockey player

F–L

* Anders Fannemel (born 1991), Norwegian ski jumper * Anders Frandsen (1960-c. 2012), Danish actor and musician, Danish representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 1991, 1991 Eurovision Song Contest * Anders Fridén (born 1973), Swedish death metal singer for the band In Flames * Anders Gärderud (born 1946), Swedish steeplechase runner * Anders Abraham Grafström (1790–1870), Swedish poet and historian * Anders Hedberg (born 1951), Swedish pioneering ice hockey player * Anders Hejlsberg (born 1960), Danish software engineer * Anders Holm, American writer and one of the stars and creators of the Comedy Central show ''Workaholics'' * Anders Holmertz (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 Lange (1904–1974), Norwegian politician * Anders Langlands, visual effects supervisor * Anders Lee (born 1990), American ice hockey player for the New York Islanders * Anders Limpar (born 1965), Swedish footballer * Anders Lindegaard (born 1984), Danish footballer * Anders Linderoth (born 1950), Swedish professional football player and coach * Anders Lindström (born 1969), Swedish rock guitarist and pianist * Anders Lindström (Swedish Army officer), Anders Lindström (born 1955), Swedish Army officer * Anders Lustgarten, British playwright * Anders Olson Lysne (1764-1803), Norwegian rebel leader

M–Z

* Anders Nilsen (disambiguation), multiple people * Anders Örne (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 (1778–1860), Danish politician and jurist, Prime Minister of Denmark (1853–1854) * Anders Sandøe Ørsted (botanist) (1816–1872), Danish botanist, mycologist, zoologist and marine biologist, nephew of the prime minister * Anders Rapp (1927–1998), Swedish geographer * Anders Fogh Rasmussen (born 1953), Danish politician, Secretary General of NATO * Anders Södergren (born 1977), Swedish cross-country skier * Anders Svensson (bandy) (born 1975), Swedish bandy player * Anders Svensson (canoeist) (born 1977), Swedish canoer * Anders Svensson (footballer, born 1976), Swedish footballer * Anders Svensson (footballer, born 1939) (1939–2007), Swedish footballer * Anders Sunesen (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 (1934–2004), Swedish politician and diplomat * Anders Wijkman (born 1944), Swedish politician * Anders Zorn (1860–1920), Swedish painter, sculptor and printmaker

Middle name

* Paul Anders Ogren (born 1951), American carpenter, farmer, and politician * David Anders, David Anders Holt (born 1981), known professionally as David Anders, American television and stage 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 * 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 * Günther Anders (1902–1992), German thinker * Günther Anders (cinematographer) (1908–1977), German cinematographer * Merry Anders (1932–2012), American actress * Peter Anders (tenor) (1908–1954), German operatic tenor * Rob Anders (born 1972), Canadian politician * Thomas Anders (born 1963), stage name of German singer Bernd Weidung * William Anders (born 1933), Apollo 8 astronaut, former U.S. Air Force officer, and businessman * Władysław Anders (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, 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 Swedish masculine given names Surnames from given names