# Andrea Doria (who the ship was named after) was not a woman, he was a general & a total bad ass! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 5, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462 "2012-01-05T03:48:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/1 "2012-01-05T03:48:16Z")
Fun fact! [Andrea Doria](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Doria) > [@](#): > > Andrea Doria (or D’Oria) (30 November 1466 – 25 November 1560) was an Italian condottiere and admiral from Genoa. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/2 "2012-01-05T04:32:05Z")
Capable, but he performed somewhat poorly at Preveza. Some of his other failures were more a matter of circumstances ( battered by storms at exactly the wrong moment at Algiers, heavily outnumbered at Ponza ). But in general his record against the Ottomans were certainly mixed at best, with the biggest engagement at Preveza where he had numerical superiority definitely a failure on his part. Of course is his defense he faced the Ottomans at pretty much the peak of their naval power and at Preveza in particular one of their best admirals in [Barbarossa](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayreddin_Barbarossa) ( against whom Doria fairly consistently lost ). ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/3 "2012-01-05T08:05:18Z")
Andrea is a relatively common name in Italy, you see. Italian for “Andrew”. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/4 "2012-01-05T11:54:21Z")
Barbara Rosa? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/5 "2012-01-05T15:47:17Z")
Doria the exploria? In other news, Andrea Bocelli is not a fat female opera star. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/6 "2012-01-05T16:03:26Z")
Yes. Andrea Doria was a rather important Italian naval figure. That might be why there have been [several](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_battleship_Andrea_Doria_%281885%29) [warships](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_battleship_Andrea_Doria_%281913%29) [named](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_cruiser_Andrea_Doria_%28C553%29) [for him.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_destroyer_Andrea_Doria_%28D_553%29) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/7 "2012-01-05T17:25:45Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Capable, but he performed somewhat poorly at Preveza. In fairness, I think a lot of us could have performed better than we did at Preveza. I was sailing for the Venetians at the time and all my captain seemed to care about was not letting his red goblets get broken. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/8 "2012-01-05T18:13:36Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Doria the exploria? > > In other news, Andrea Bocelli is not a fat female opera star. So why is the Andrea pronounced differently for Doria and Bocelli? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2012, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/9 "2012-01-07T06:07:09Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > Yes. Andrea Doria was a rather important Italian naval figure. > > That might be why there have been [several](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_battleship_Andrea_Doria_%281885%29) [warships](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_battleship_Andrea_Doria_%281913%29) [named](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_cruiser_Andrea_Doria_%28C553%29) [for him.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_destroyer_Andrea_Doria_%28D_553%29) Not to mention an important warship of the fledgling Continental Navy: [Andrew Doria (1775 brig) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Andrew_Doria_(1775)) ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/10 "2012-01-07T18:05:39Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > So why is the Andrea pronounced differently for Doria and Bocelli? It’s not. You’ve been pronouncing it incorrectly. As have many others who anglicize words that look familiar. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/11 "2012-01-07T18:38:40Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > So why is the Andrea pronounced differently for Doria and Bocelli? It is? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/12 "2012-01-08T06:20:59Z")
The ship Ann dray a 3 syllables Singer On dray (like andrew sort of) ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/13 "2012-01-08T07:33:21Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > The ship > > Ann dray a 3 syllables > > Singer > > On dray (like andrew sort of) I thought Anglophone broadcasting personnel pronounce it that way only because otherwise listeners might be nonplussed as to how a female singer can hit such low notes. To be fair, the name Andrea is somewhat unusual in that there aren’t too many male names in Romance languages that end in ‘a’. English speakers are familiar with Andre as a male name, while the Andreas we meet in ordinary life are almost universally female. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/14 "2012-01-08T15:57:49Z")
In his older days, he liked to ease himself slowly into the water like old men are wont to do in baths ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/15 "2012-01-08T16:32:39Z")
I wonder why the name hasn’t always been spelled “Andrio”, in keeping with about 95% of all other [Italian Male First Names](http://www.family-crests.com/family-crest-coat-of-arms/surnames-7-7/male-italian-names.html). It looks like “Andrea” may be an 0.10 percentile outlier. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/16 "2012-01-08T17:14:09Z")
No wife? Kids? Just nephews? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/17 "2012-01-08T21:55:22Z")
> [@colonial](#): > > I wonder why the name hasn’t always been spelled “Andrio”, > in keeping with about 95% of all other [Italian Male First Names](http://www.family-crests.com/family-crest-coat-of-arms/surnames-7-7/male-italian-names.html). > > It looks like “Andrea” may be an 0.10 percentile outlier. At least until he lay in the tub. (ba-da-boom!) Horrible jokes aside, I think the answer can be found [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_grammar#Nouns). Andrea (Andrew) is originally a Greek name, so it stands to reason that it would have been declined like other nouns of Greek origin in the days when Italians still spoke Latin, and so today has the ‘a’ ending. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/18 "2012-01-09T03:40:12Z")
Eh. Personally, I’m much more impressed with Giuseppe Garibaldi. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/19 "2012-01-09T04:59:06Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > Eh. Personally, I’m much more impressed with Giuseppe Garibaldi. Yup. Did much to help unify Italy, and was later offered a field command in the U.S. Army during the Civil War. Quite a guy. ---
**Author:** ![tonyfop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462/20 "2012-01-09T05:07:30Z")
Andrea is my grandfather’s first name (he was born near Genoa), and it is my Dad’s middle name, even though if you ask him he will say its Andrew. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andrea-doria-who-the-ship-was-named-after-was-not-a-woman-he-was-a-general-a-total-bad-ass/608462.md?page=2)