The Gaulish [[theonym]] ''Andarta'' is traditionally interpreted as meaning 'Great Bear', perhaps 'powerful bear' or ''[[Ursa Major]]'', formed with an intensifying suffix ''and''- attached to a feminine form of ''artos'' ('bear'). ''Andarta'' might thus have been a counterpart or an alternative name of the Celtic [[Bear worship|bear goddess]], [[Artio]].
According to linguist [[Blanca María Prósper]], however, "this idea is uncompelling because the semantics lack good parallels and the inner syntax of the compound is utterly problematic." In her view, the name should be translated as 'Well-fixed, Staying-firm', formed with a prefix *''h₂ndʰi-'' (or *''h₁ndo-'') attached to a participle *-''h₂-rtó'' ('fixed, composed, built'; cf. Sanskrit ''[[ṛta]]'' 'cosmic law, order', Greek ''artús'' 'arrangement', Latin ''artus'' 'joint').{{sfn|Prósper|2018|p=12}}