ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👧As Girl Name 1880 First Year 2026 Last Year 2021 Peak Year #580 Peak Rank 2K Total Count 90 Years Active 👦As Boy Name 1990 First Year 2026 Last Year 2019 Peak Year #1815 Peak Rank 2K Total Count 37 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Indiana What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Indiana is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the south and southeast, and the Wabash River and Illinois to the west. Nicknamed "the Hoosier State", Indiana is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 states. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * English 📜Etymology Indiana's name means "Land of the Indians ", or simply "Indian Land". It also stems from Indiana's territorial history. On May 7, 1800, the United States Congress passed legislation to divide the Northwest Territory into two areas and named the western section the Indiana Territory . In 1816, when Congress passed an Enabling Act to begin the process of establishing statehood for Indiana, a part of this territorial land became the geographic area for the new state. Formal use of the word Indiana dates from 1768, when a Philadelphia -based trading company gave its land claim in present-day West 🏛️Origin & history Main article: History of Indiana See also: Outline of Indiana § History [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Indiana](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Flag_of_Indiana.svg/330px-Flag_of_Indiana.svg.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana) 📖 ## The Story of Indiana ### As a girl name American parents first put Indiana on the record books as a girl name in 1880, with 9 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2021, when 112 Indianas were born — ranking #1,800 that year. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 32% of all recorded Indianas. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #2,194 among girl names with 86 births, gradually falling (-10%). In total, more than 2K Indianas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name Indiana first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1990, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2019: 84 births, good for #1,815 nationwide. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 37% of all recorded Indianas. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #2,212 among boy names with 66 births, gradually falling (-10%). In total, more than 2K Indianas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1990s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Indiana Phonetically similar names — useful when Indiana is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Indianan * Indianer * Indianness * [Indian](/indian) * Indians * Indien * [Andriana](/andriana) * Andina * [India](/india) * Indium * Insana * Indochina Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Indiana What does the name Indiana mean? Indiana is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the south and southeast, and the Wabash River and Illinois to the west. Nicknamed "the Hoosier State", Indiana is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 states. What is the origin of the name Indiana? Indiana has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English. How popular is Indiana in 2026? In 2026, Indiana ranks #2,194 among girls' names in the U.S., with 86 babies given the name that year. When was Indiana most popular? Indiana reached its peak popularity in 2021, ranking #580 that year with 112 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Indiana most popular? Indiana has historically been most popular in Utah, Washington, Massachusetts. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Indiana. Is Indiana a unisex name? Yes — Indiana is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 59% of Indianas assigned female and 41% assigned male historically. What names go well with Indiana? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Indiana include Mittie, Reta, Halley. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧MittiePeak #580](/mittie)[👧RetaPeak #580](/reta)[👧HalleyPeak #580](/halley)[👧AudiePeak #579](/audie) ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦CoraPeak #1815](/cora)[👦MabelPeak #1815](/mabel)[👦LaurierPeak #1815](/laurier)[👦RumaldoPeak #1815](/rumaldo) ## About the name Indiana Indiana is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Indiana's peak popularity came in 2021 when it ranked #580\. Use the chart and map above to compare Indiana's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2021 → ](/year/2021) * [ Names of the 2020s → ](/decade/2020s) * [ Names starting with "I" → ](/letter/i) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.