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At a Glance: Name: Indiana – Meaning: named for the historic Indiana Territory, itself named for its Native American population – Origin: English (U.S. place name) – Gender: Neutral – Pronunciation: in-dee-AN-ah
Indiana is a place-name-turned-first-name, taken from the historic Indiana Territory, which was itself named for the Native American population living there. It's used as a name for any gender and carries a romantic, storybook feel, pronounced in-dee-AN-ah. If you're weighing it for a child, it's worth knowing upfront that its story is geographic and historical rather than tied to a traditional word meaning.
Meaning & Origin of Indiana
Meaning: Named for the historic indiana territory, itself named for its native american population.
Origin: English (U.S. place name).
Source: Wiktionary.
How to Pronounce Indiana
Phonetic: in-dee-AN-ah IPA: /ˌɪndiˈænə/
Popularity of Indiana
Indiana has actually grown rarer over time: it hit its highest point back in 1880, ranking #604 with just 9 babies given the name, and by 2024 it had fallen to #2154 with 68 babies — more babies than in 1880, but a much lower rank in a far larger pool of names.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1880–2024.
Make Indiana Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Indiana, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Indiana mean?
Named for the historic indiana territory, itself named for its native american population. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Indiana)
How do you pronounce Indiana?
Indiana is pronounced in-dee-AN-ah (IPA: /ˌɪndiˈænə/).
Is Indiana a popular name right now?
Indiana peaked at #604 in 1880 and is ranked #2154 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1880–2024.)
📊 How popular is Indiana? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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