Indy
A diminutive of the masculine name "Indiana", derived from American slang.
Name Census estimates that about 2,732 living Americans carry the first name Indy. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 71.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Indy today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Indy births was 2024 (438 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Indy. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Indy is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 9 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.7K
~ 1 in 125,459 Americans
Peak year
2024
438 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#780
Tracked since 1955
Gender
Gender distribution for Indy
Indy is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 2,763 total registrations, 789 (28.6%) were male and 1,974 (71.4%) were female.
Indy as a male name
- Ranked #1,998 in 2024
- 77 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (78 births)
Indy as a female name
- Ranked #780 in 2024
- 361 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (361 births)
Popularity
Indy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Indy from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 1,599 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Indy by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Indy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Indys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 33 states and territories. California, Utah, Texas recorded the most babies named Indy, while North Dakota, Maryland, Wisconsin recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 40 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Indy
The given name Indy is a modern diminutive form of the name Indiana, which itself is derived from the word "Indian" referring to the Native American people indigenous to the areas of the present-day United States and Canada. The name Indiana is believed to have originated from the Spanish explorers who named the region after the indigenous inhabitants.
The name Indy gained popularity in the late 20th century, possibly inspired by the fictional character Indiana Jones, the adventurous archaeologist portrayed by Harrison Ford in the popular film franchise of the same name. The first Indiana Jones movie, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," was released in 1981 and became a cultural phenomenon, potentially influencing the use of the name Indy as a shortened version.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Indy can be found in the 1990 film "Pretty Woman," where the character Vivian Ward, played by Julia Roberts, uses the name Indy as an alias. This movie further popularized the name and contributed to its association with a confident and independent personality.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals who bore the name Indy, although it was not as common as other names. One example is Indy Neidell, an American-Swedish historian and YouTuber known for his popular World War I and World War II documentary series "The Great War" and "World War Two." He was born in 1972 and has helped educate millions about these significant historical events.
Another notable figure is Indy Griffiths, a British actress and model born in 1983. She has appeared in various television shows and films, including "Eastenders" and "The Hitman's Bodyguard."
In the world of sports, Indy Viarregio is a professional Italian footballer who plays as a midfielder. He was born in 1991 and has represented several clubs in the Italian football leagues.
Indy Mellink is a Dutch actress and singer born in 1998. She gained recognition for her role in the Netflix series "Ares" and has also released several singles and an EP.
Lastly, Indy Vidyalankara is a Sri Lankan author and playwright born in 1925. He is known for his contributions to Sinhala literature and has received several prestigious awards for his works.
It's important to note that while the name Indy has gained popularity in recent decades, its use as a given name can be traced back to the late 20th century and has been influenced by various cultural and literary references.
People
Indy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Indy as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Indy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Indy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,732 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Indy going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 125,459 US residents.
Is Indy a common name?
We classify Indy as "Rare". It ranks above 94.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,763 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Indy most popular?
The single biggest year for Indy was 2024, when 438 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Indy is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Indy a female name?
Yes, 71.4% of people registered as Indy in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.