E. Rossoni notes that this surname derives from the given name Andreano, documented in the 15th century, although it could also come from place names such as Andretta, in the Avellino area. Rossoni records it in Pietradefusi, a locality of that same area, from the 17th century, and indicates presence in the Foggia area.

V. Blunda proposes a different etymology: the surname would come from the Greek Andreanòs, derived from the personal name Andrea by means of a Greek suffix of belonging, with the sense of "belonging to Andrew" or "descendant of Andrew". According to Blunda, in Sicilian onomastics it would have entered as a Greek patronymic that later became a surname along the family line.