Name of the Week

If it came to a contest, India — part Isabella, part Lydia — could
certainly win the crown for most successful
place-name in Britain.

 

Origin:

As a first name, India is taken directly from the name of the country.  India itself takes its name from the Indus River, the great river in that region — the surrounding area of which, the Indus Valley, was the site of a major Bronze Age civilisation which flourished between 3300–1300 BCE. Indus comes from the Sanskrit word sindhu "river, stream, flood."

Usage:

India first became used as a given name in the 19th century.  In 1858, India became under the direct control of the British government, and by 1876 had become conglomerated with Pakistan and Bangladesh as "The Indian Empire" or "British Raj" as it was often referred to. Queen Victoria, consequently, was proclaimed "Empress of India," a title which was held by British royalty until 1947. Some of the earliest bearers to be given the name India in England and Wales were India Phillis Smith in 1835, Jane Rich India Ann Bushell in 1842 and India Nelia Apes in 1843 which, interestingly, predate British occupation of India.  Almost exclusively, India was given as a first name for girls, although was also used as a middle name for boys occasionally. Nevertheless, it was used no more than thirty times in the entire century.  For some, India is considered to be a literary name thanks to the character India Wilkes in Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone With The Wind (1936). Though the book and original film release seem to have had little impact on the name [there are no first name registrations in England and Wales for India between 1910 and 1955], there was a small flurry after 1955, perhaps thanks to the film's popular re-release in 1954 and 1961.  During the period from 1960-1980, India was little used outside of the British peerage and upper class, with whom it is still popular. Prime examples include India Hicks (b.1967), daughter of Lady Pamela Mountbatton (and therefore a second cousin to the Queen's children) who acted as a bridesmaid to Lady Diana Spencer and India Birley (b.1961), daughter of Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart Leslie Dunkling's popularity rankings for England and Wales from 1900-1990 show how India started really making its mark in the late 80s and early 90s, broadening its use throughout the social strata. Up until 1985, Dunkling's ranks do not chart India at all (the smallest number of births needed being 1 in 10000) but in 1990, 6 in every 10,000 girls were given the name.  In 1996, 245 girls were named India in England and Wales (rank #180). It peaked in 1999 with 431 births (#113) and then declined from that point until it rose again to 438 births (#130) in 2011.  In 2012, India ranked #143 with 395 births in England and Wales. 6 girls were named Indiya, 5 Indya, and 3 Indiah.   In Scotland, India has seen less success, having never cracked the Top 100. In 2005 it ranked #293 with 11 births. Its lowest point was #477 (6 births) in 2007 and peaked in 2011 at #216 with 19 births.  In 2012, India ranked #278 with 16 births.

Famous Bearers:

Contemporary: * India Knight (b.1965), British author.  * India Allen, (b. 1965), American actress.  * India Hicks (b.1967), British interior designer and former model.  * India Arie (b. 1975), American singer. * India de Beaufort (b. 1987), British actress.  Literature and Media: * India Wilkes, a character in Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind (1936).  * India Bridge, main character in Evan S. Connell's Mrs. Bridge (1959).  * India Stoker, main character in the 2013 movie Stoker.

Variants:

Indiya, Indya, Indiah

Pronunciation:

IN-dee-ə [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Indie, Dia, Didi, Dina

Sibling Names:

Zara     Leila     Sienna     Eden     Poppy     Lena  Lucas    Jasper     Oscar     Flynn     Hugo     Tristan

Name Lists:

N/A

 

If you like India you may also like:  Sophia, Lyla, Scarlet, Emilia, Isabella, Flora, Elodie, Lyra, Thea, Jasmine

 

Thanks to Laura for requesting this post.