Indiana

Meaning & origin

Indiana is a place name turned given name, most familiar as the home state of the author of this site. It first appeared on U.S. baby name records in 1880, where it ranked 2,194th and was recorded in its peak year of 1880, with a 1-in-19,134 birth rate. After that early peak, the name fell out of common use for much of the 20th century, but saw a revival in the 1980s thanks to the character Indiana Jones. Since 2022, its popularity has been falling again. The name has historically been given to both boys and girls, though it has leaned slightly male. The top states for Indiana births are Utah, Colorado, and Virginia, suggesting a regional preference in the West and Mid-Atlantic. As a unisex place name, Indiana fits alongside other state-derived names like Montana and Dakota, but remains far less common, giving it a distinctive and adventurous feel.

Indiana derives from the U.S. state name, which in turn comes from the word 'Indian' combined with the Latin suffix '-ana' meaning 'land of' or 'pertaining to'. The state was named for its Native American inhabitants. As a given name, Indiana gained traction in the late 19th century alongside other place-inspired names, and saw a resurgence in the 1980s following the Indiana Jones film franchise, although it remains rare.