India

原The name India originated from the name Indus river. Indian name of the same is Sindhu. You wouldn't find people named India in India or of Indian origin but you would find many girls named Sindhu. Similar sounding names Sindhura/Sindhuri which mean wearer of sindhoor-Goddess Durga(Sindhoor meaning, vermilion-mercury sulphide- the red dot Hindus wear on forehead; Durga meaning the Invincible). Ancient Indian (Sanskrit) names, be it the name of a person or a place, have a meaning.India is an English name for the country that doesn't actually make any sense. Indian name of the country is Bharat (meaning land ruled by King Bharatha) which many outsiders seldom know.As an Indian I would personally never name my daughter India just because it sounds good.

原My name is India. My middle name is Leigh (as in Vivian Leigh from Gone with the Wind.) I was named after a very influential and strong woman in politics named India Edwards. The name runs in her family in every generation I could find. Regardless of whether it is the name of a country it makes no sense in condemning people for using it. Look at any map and you'll see names of many people you may know and their parents may never have known it was the name of a town. My Father loved the name so much that he made a deal with my Mom that she could name any other children they had so I have 3 siblings with "normal" names and I grew up hating that I had a weird name. Like most named "India" I was teased and made fun of and called other names by idiots thinking they were clever.As an adult I have learned to embrace its uniqueness and love it when I meet another "India." I can't understand the hateful people saying people who name their children were "10 day tourists" etc. I always considered it a name that showed honor and respect to that country. And my parents were not trying to be "cool." We lived in other countries besides the U.S. so that was not something they thought about. If they had been I wouldn't be the odd one out name-wise in my family.

原The name India was given to 261 girls born in the US in 2015.

原I personally don't like the sound of this name. It would be difficult to say with a cold (coincidentally, I have one right now), and it's sound is very generic. A better country name would be China, which is also the name of a material, so you can't really be offended by it.

原As a person with Indian heritage, this name offends me to the highest degree, especially when I see white, blonde, privileged, spoiled children bearing it. It's so completely ignorant to name your kid after a country because it sounds good to you. I'm sorry, but since my ancestors were made to be slaves (ahem, sorry, servants) and dragged from India to a small South American country by the British to farm sugarcane, it makes me livid when people who simply think it's "exotic" use it. Or when people widely praise others for using it. It's NOT a name; it's a country. Why don't you educate yourselves before you name your kid this?

原My name is India-Rose and I have always been honoured and proud my parents gave it to me.

原My name is India and I've always disliked my name. It doesn't flow well with my last name and my mom didn't really put much thought in naming me because she named me after her former friend's child. So irrelevant to me.

原It's so elegant, different and upper class, this name. I have never been a fan of the country and continent names, but this name is a big exception.

原India was especially popular in the 2000s. I am 14, nearly 15, and I have known 7 India's around my age. And it must be somewhat popular- There is a Rainbow Fairy called India the Moonstone fairy, after all!

原It is usually pronounced In-dee-ah. Many India's tend to get called Indie/ Indy.

原My name is India, and I never really liked it, I still don't. To me, whenever people hear it they always think that I'm from India, and it doesn't help that I'm also Indian. But it is a unique name and I like to be called 'Indy' from my family. Believe it or not, my best friend's name is India also, and it's funny because we live in a small little town of 750 people. Crazy! People also call me other names like Asia, or China, or Japan because they think they're humorous. I've also been called indigestion! Haha, people are strange. But I think the name India is short and sweet, the name could mean a lot of different things to different people, it just depends on how you look at it.

原I am naming my daughter this! I just love it, especially how the main character in Chan Wook Park's "Stoker" has it. It's so lovely!

原I am half Indian with an Indian name. My partner is white and when my second daughter was born I wanted to give her an Indian name after my grandmother but my partner said if she has dark skin then fine, if not it might not fit. She was as pale as can be with blue eyes and Sandy hair. I still wanted to honor my Indian heritage so we called her India and it sooo suits her, plus my Indian family love it! It's not nonsense or a cliche. It's classy x.

原In 2006 we named our daughter India. I didn't know whether I was having a boy or a girl but India was a name on my shortlist for girls. When she was born she had a mop of jet black hair and olive skin so instantly the name seemed right. Had she been blonde, pale skinned and blue eyed (a possibility because both me and her father aren't very dark) I don't think I would have chosen it. Everyone always compliments about what a lovely name it is and she loves being the only India in her school! People tend to remember you more with an unusual name.

原India de Beaufort- British singer-songwriter and actress (was in Basil Brush and Run Fatboy Run)India Hicks- former model and 678th to the British throneIndia Scandrick- broadway actress and singer.

原Loads of girls called India have the middle name Rose, which is a lovely combination.

原Pronounced In-dee-ah.

原The name was used the most in 2000 for newly born babies.

原For short, I get called Indie :)

原My name is India and when I was younger I got teased endlessly about if I was from India. But then again, if you say "Hi, my name is India "everyone will go "oooh, that is a nice name" rather than if my name were Lucy, they would just go: Hi, Lucy. It may seem a fake exotic name, but I quite like it as it is unique. I hardly know any girls called India and, as my mum toured round India playing football, we have a slight relation. I have never been there, but it is a country full of vibrant colours. Overall, it is nice, and I wouldn't want to change my name if I had the choice.

原From the Online Etymology Dictionary entry for 'Indus', from whence the name India comes: "river in Asia, from Sanskrit sindhu, 'river.'"Source: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Indus&allowed_in_frame=0From Wiktionary: "From Latin 'Sindus', a Latinization of Sanskrit सिन्धु (síndhu, 'river, stream; Indus')."Source: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Indus#Etymology_1From Wikipedia: "The word 'Indus' is the romanised form of the ancient Greek word 'Indós' (Ἰνδός), borrowed from the old Persian word 'Hinduš', which in turn was derived from the Sanskrit word 'Sindhu' (सिन्धु pronounced [sɪɳdʱuː]). The word 'Sindhu' or 'Sindh' is still the local appellation of the Indus River. The original Sanskrit word 'Sindhu' is an amalgamation of two words, 'sim' (region or entirety or border) and 'dhu' (to tremble or shake) and means 'a body of trembling water, river, stream or ocean'."Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_River#Etymology_and_namesSo the name India essentially means "river". [noted -ed]

原India had been used as a given name long before the British even set foot in India. There's no evidence that it was used solely in/became popular among upper classes in the past or now. The name sees widespread use among girls from all walks of life and is fairly popular, having never ranked less than #226 in the England & Wales data.

原Australian actor Chris Hemsworth and his wife, actress Elsa Pataky have a daughter named India Rose Hemsworth, born in May 2012.

原It seems strange to name a kid after a country, town, state, etc. But if the place is very important to you I see no reason why you can't name your kid after it. India does sound pretty. :)

原I named my daughter India and think it's a beautiful name regardless that a country is called India, I actually spent 8 months travelling through India and it has a special place in my heart. For short, she gets called Indy.

原I'm italian and I discovered that the name of Ashely's sister was India only when I read Gone with the wind in english.In the italian version India became Lidia!

原Beautiful flow... But look, it is a COUNTRY not a NAME, really and truly!

原India Eisley (born 1993 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress.

原India Ennenga (born 1994 in New York City) is an American actress.

原Think it's a gorgeous name, although best if you can point to some connection to the place.

原India began to be used as a name by British families with a connection to the subcontinent during the Raj. Still to this day it's most frequently seen used among the British upper classes (e.g. India Hicks).

原India Primrose Fairchild from "Delta Wedding" by Eudora Welty is one of my favorite characters in literature, which is why I've always loved this name. I also like the association with the American South not only in Delta Wedding but in Gone with the Wind.

原I don't know why someone would want to name their child the same name as the country. There are several ugly associations. For example: India is an over-crowded, impoverished, and violent country where there is little freedom and women are considered property. What does this say to the girl who is given this name?

原To reply to the comment on 6/21/2011, No, India wasn't her 'real' name, just her first. Opal was her middle name and she preferred to be called by it instead. It did seem to symbolize her spirit and personality better.

原In Kate DiCamillo's novel, Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal's real name is India.

原I have recently watched Gone With The Wind for the first time in years and saw that Ashley's sister was named India. I instantly fell in love with the name! If I ever have a daughter in the future I would love to call her India Rain :)

原I've never liked this. I don't know why; it's just not my style.

原Ugh it sounds so trashy, and like the parents were trying too hard to be cool and unique. And there are so many people named India with the middle name Rose.

原This is my new name to hate with a passion so great it makes me vomit. Probably because the kind of parents who call their daughter India went there on one 10-day package tour, and ever after believe this makes them culturally and spiritually aware, of, like, EVERYTHING.

原The Indus River, after which India is named, simply means "river".

原I first heard this name in Gone with the Wind (the character India Wilkes). Personally, I just love it. It makes me think of an upperclass British woman from the 1930s and British Raj.

原It's not even a name. It's a COUNTRY!

原"India" is also the code word for the letter "I" in the NATO phonetic alphabet.

原India Hicks (born 1967), interior designer and second cousin of Charles, Prince of Wales.

原My name is India Rose and personally as a kid, I hated it. People would always make fun of it, or ask me things like 'are you from India?' and it was annoying. Later, I get so many compliments, and I never had to deal with people shouting out a name and wonder if they are talking to me. It just makes you feel special later in life because so few people have this name.

原Banarama, you jerk, India is not an "impoverished" country. It has one of the highest GDPs in the world. That's one of the most ignorant comments I've heard all day.As for the name itself, I think it's very beautiful. Even though I have read "Gone with the Wind" and hate the character India Wilkes, that doesn't affect my perception of the name itself. But as others have said, I think it works best if the country is of significance to the parents. Otherwise it sounds a little phony.

原It's a nice name, but it's the name of an impoverished country. Then there's the even worse association with India Wilkes from Gone With the Wind. I wouldn't use this on my child.

原You have to keep in mind the changing nature of politics when it comes to place names. Say India's reputation (Or China's, Kenya's, London's) is tarnished in the future. The reputation would 'transfer' to the child; it would be a label that the child could not get rid of!

原I wouldn't use any name of a country on my child. I bet many people just pick this one because they think it sounds nice, and neither they nor their child has any connection to the country itself, which makes the parents seem quite ignorant. Now, India has come a long way in many ways, but it's still associated with poverty and castes, so it's quite bizarre when white children from middle class America have this name. I once saw the blonde daughter of very rich parents on a crappy reality show that had this name. It just doesn't suit blonde, white people, sorry. Besides, the girl herself may wind up not liking the country.

原I'm sorry, but this name just sounds so strange on people. "India" [Insert last name here] sounds weird, but so do most place names. And there are lots of stereotypes on India, so a person may as well not choose such a name. But then again, most place names really don't sound that good anyway.

原I tend to not care very much for "place" names, but India is gorgeous.

原I know this comment was made years ago and isn't even relevant, but I just had to say (if someone else hasn't said it already) that Pakistan was once part of India until the mid-twentieth century.

原I usually don't like naming people after countries, but for India I'd have to make an exception--it's just too beautiful. Although the only other country names that work would be Kenya, China, Erin (NOT Ireland!), and I think that a beautiful Latina girl could even pull off Venezuela. There's so much culture and pleasant images associated with India that I'd say go for it, especially if your family is from India. Although do think it's strange that India is named for the Indus River when most of the Inus isn't in India, but in Pakistan. But I don't want to argue geography. :)

原Really nice, in fact in my opinion this is one of the few place names that look good on people.

原Norwegian singer Lene Nystrøm and Danish singer Søren Rasted have a daughter India, born 6 November 2004.

原I like this name a lot, but like any other place name, I wouldn't use it unless the actual country of India had a very special meaning to me, which it doesn't (or at least not at the moment).

原I think it's very beautiful from the aesthetic perspective, I just don't like 'country' names.

原This is a purty name.

原India Bright is a famous bearer, an English theologian.

原I only know of English / American girls called this. There are a lot of wonderful British Indians in my community and none of them are called India or Asia and there are no girls called China or London or any stupid place names. I hate stereotyping but it reminds me of someone trying to be exotic, though they clearly are ignorant.

原The Danish/Norwegian couple Søren and Lene from "Aqua" (you know "Barbie Girl" and "Roses are Red" and so on) have a daughter named India.

原This name is so pretty, and it can match any "nature" middle name.

原This name is GORGEOUS. I first heard of it while reading Gone With The Wind and found it positively striking. Very exotic.

原I was going to be called this and I love it! I was called Annabel instead, I find India far more exiting!

原This is pretty name, it's just simple and delicate. I know a girl named India, lucky girl.

原GORGEOUS name! There are so many great feelings that enter your mind when you hear the name. I like that.

原This is my favorite name! When (if) I have a daughter, her name will be India Rose. It's so beautiful!

原India Arie is a famous singer.

原India Wilkes is Ashley's sister in Gone With the Wind.