The name is said to be from the name of the Midwest American State meaning, “Indian land.” In reality, it was more likely a blend of the term Indian with the feminine Latin suffix – ana on the end. The place that is now known as Indiana got its name in 1800 and was named in honour of several indigenous American tribes who were native to the area.
Indiana has had long enough use as a female given-name in England and the United States, its earliest use can probably be traced to the 1796 Frances Burney novel, Camilla, in which it is the name of the eponymous heroin’s cousin. That same year there are several baptismal records for Indianas across England, but there are even earlier records from 1788, a baptismal record for an Indiana Jane White borne in Essex, England. The name may have been used by families who had colonist ties to India or the U.S.
It was also the name of titular heroine of the 1836 George Sand Novel, Indiana, and it appears as the name of a minor character in Edith Wharton’s 1913 novel, The Custom of the Country.
Indiana sporadically appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 Most Poplar Female Names between 1880 and 1893. It peaked at #580 in 1880.
Its usage as a male name is extremely recent, in fact, it can only be traced to the George Lucas’ Indiana Jones franchise. Supposedly, Lucas named the character after his dog and was also trying to pay homage to a 1966 hero from a Western named Nevada Smith.
Currently, Indiana has experienced popularity in Australia. As of 2018, Indiana was the 78th Most Popular Female Name in Australia, New South Wales. In England & Wales, she ranks much lower at #484.
As for it being a male name, though you may have the idea of Indiana Jones stuck in your head, think about this, traditionally -ana is a Latin suffix mostly used for feminine names and nouns. A logical male form would be Indiano, and there are records for Indiano being used in the 1800s. I even found a record for an Indiano Jones born in 1840 Virginia.
Notable bearers are Australian actress, Indiana Evans (b. 1900) (she is likely the trigger behind the name’s popularity in Australia); Australian actress and singer, Indiana Massara (b. 2002), British singer, Indiana (borne Lauren Henson); and Nicaraguan model, Indiana Sánchez (b.1987).
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