Indiana
Masculine · “land of the Indians”
Indiana is given to both — 1,447 boys and 2,090 girls since 1880. See Indiana as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Indiana means land of the Indians — a name resting on Columbus's belief that he had reached the Indies.
How old is the name Indiana?
Indiana first appears in US birth records in 1990 — 35 years ago. The typical Indiana is a kid of about 9 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,400 people named Indiana are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Indiana most popular?
Indiana peaked in 2019, reaching #1816 nationally. Today it ranks #2304, 488 places below that high. See the whole 2019 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Indus to Indiana
The story of Indiana
The Indus gave India its name, and Columbus's navigational error transferred the word to two continents; the state of Indiana carries the mistake. A 1981 film gave the name to an archaeologist and made it usable for boys. It appears in American records in current use.
Meaning
land of the Indians
From 'Indian' plus a Latin place-name ending. 'Indian' descends from the Indus river through Greek and Latin, and was applied to the Americas because Columbus thought he had reached the Indies. The state was named in 1800. The etymology is documented.
How the name formed
- Indus
- Indian
- Indiana
Related forms: India · Indy
Pronouncing Indiana
in-dee-AN-uh
Four syllables, stress on the third. Said identically in every American accent.
Nicknames for Indiana
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1990
- Most boys named
- 201984 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1816reached in 2019
- Change vs 2024
- −13.0%60 in 2025, from 69
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Indiana in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- India in Latin — related form
- Indy in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Washington.
Indianas among us
people named Indiana are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 28,468 born in 2025 was named Indiana
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Sarkis test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Indiana's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Sarkis climbed just as high around 1923, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Sarkis's path sketches the road Indiana is walking now.
Indiana sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Indiana is headed
Indiana should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Indiana beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Indiana in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That the name preserves Columbus's error is a first-rate fact.
- Indy is available as a short form with a real record.
- One film character made it usable and memorable.
- It is a state name and reads as one.
- One film franchise dominates the association.
- The name rests on a colonial misnaming, which some families will weigh.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Indiana to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Indiana? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Indiana
Masculine · #2304 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Indianas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,400 people named Indiana are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Indiana in 2025?
- Indiana ranks #2304 among US boy names in 2025, with 60 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Indiana?
- About 1 in every 28,468 US boys born in 2025 was named Indiana — 60 in all.
- Will my child share the name Indiana with classmates?
- Indiana will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Indiana
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Zian#2304 · Avion#2304 · Lex#2304 · Joab#2304 · Ahmari#2304 · Daxon#2304 · Enoc#2304 · Paris#2304
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Indiana? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Indiana and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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