India

My mother's name was India. She was always beautiful and youthful looking. We were confused for sisters often and even my dates were attracted to my mother. "Gone With The Wind" had a character named India. I don't believe I have seen it used anywhere else.

The word India is pretty. Although it's not the original name of the place on the map. It's what the west decided to name it. On a person it comes across very strange. I know a Caucasian British woman named her child this. It feels like a name a young woman with wanderlust would name her child to show off how worldly and bohemian they are. I'm a believer that giving a child a name with so many ideas and emotions behind it really puts the child's own personality on the back burner. Some people name their child India to get to the nickname Indie and always call them that. Just name your child Indie.

My mom named me India because she said I looked Indian when I was born. I had jet black silky hair and light skin. I always get so many compliments on my name. I love ❤️ my name so much.

Ridiculous.

I know a girl named India who goes by Dia, which I think is lovely.

I agree with the person who is actually from India— it seems like many people use this name because they think it is “exotic.” Unless someone has a familial connection to India, it does come off as uneducated. Yes, people can do whatever they want and there is no law against giving your kid whatever name you want, but it doesn’t change the fact of how it’s perceived.

My name is India, there's nothing wrong with calling a child India, it's so cool and epic, 100% recommend, #smash.

Super pretty! I would use it if it wasn’t a country, I hate country/place names.

My mom named me India. And honestly it makes me sad that people think it’s so weird or ignorant to do so. First off, my mother is SouthEast Asian. Honestly, if someone wants to name their child after a beautiful place out of respect for the country, there is nothing wrong with that. Most of these comments are probably the most chronically online things I’ve read. Please stop overcomplicating things and maybe educate yourself on how to be a kind person. I cannot fix that I was born with this name. Although I’m not full white I am half and it saddens me that some people are judging others so harshly for naming their child a certain name. YOU DO NOT KNOW THE SIGNIFICANCE so do not make up scenarios of why they would. Be kind. And stop with the white savior complexes, it’s quite irritating to read.

It's very pretty, but kind of odd, because it's the name of a country. I can maybe see why you might name your child India if you have some kind of connection with the country, but even still, for a non-Indian person to do that could seem kind of an attempt to be 'exotic' and I find it hard to imagine that any Indian person would name a child India. So it's pretty, but not really a name IMO.

Most of this comment section is so ignorant. My country is a blessed land of history, knowledge, hardship, courage, and perseverance. It is not for a silly human name. It is not "exotic." It is sacred. To use it so carelessly showcases your thinking of India to be "unique" for who your character really is: disrespectful, problematic, and thoughtless. It shows you have a low emotional and social intelligence level. It is not hard to be respectful of other countries and their people. People should learn to do. This also includes other POC, like India Arie. It is not right.

My daughter is India Elle. She gets called both Indi and India. It suits her. It’s the prettiest country name in my opinion.
We have only ever met one other India too so it’s not common.

Beautiful, would use it! I would also use the combo India Amelia, or India Ella.

I, as a White person (I promise this is relevant), used to think that India as a personal name was very colonialist and ultimately tone-deaf. I even created a poll on this site asking about impressions: https://www.behindthename.com/polls/311425

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Then I decided to create a new poll, specifically for Indians and other South Asians: https://www.behindthename.com/polls/347902

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Those results are very different from the first poll, which was BtN-wide. And while I cannot find the statistics at this time, I think it's safe to say the majority of BtN users are White. The reason I am going through all this trouble to lay out the (meager) data is to caution those of us who look back at our ancestor's wrongdoings, and strive to make a better future, against essentially deciding how former colonized peoples should feel about something.

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Now... about the name itself:

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India is gorgeous. As others have said, it's likely the prettiest "country name" out there - definitely the most mellifluous. It's uncommon but recognizable.

The best "country name".

It's a gorgeous name. Kind of odd that the people who feel the need to trash it hide their username. At least stand by your opinion and don't hide.

Most people that use this name know nothing of the country and have never even been. It makes me laugh.

Doesn’t make you cultured or a free spirit to use this name, it makes you uneducated and a sheep.

Beautiful name. I love it.

The name is pretty, but I would never use it on a baby girl.

Beautiful name.

I like it but I won't ever use it.

Beautiful name. Wouldn't use it, but I love the combination India Lily.

Kinda "Country-associated" but okay as a middle name.

"body of trembling water." This is really good imagery.

Next there will be Turkey as a name. Cluck, Cluck, Gobble!

It’s nice if you don’t think about the country India. It sounds very name-like and nice sounding, but maybe alter the spelling a bit. I think the spelling ruins the name as it is the spelling of a country.

It's such a clueless, privileged white person thing to do. They go on holiday to India to 'discover themselves' on some yoga retreat and 'align their chakras' and marvel at all brown people 'dressed in so many wonderful colours' and then come home and name their kid India because they think it signifies some kind of free-living hippie life and exoticism. No, it's a complex country full of all kinds of people living normal, rounded lives that you're bluntly distilling down, exoticising and appropriating. Given the colonial context and the white supremacist world we live in, it's not acceptable for a white person to call their child India. And no, it's not the same as calling them Florence, Virginia or Paris.

People like you are honestly what’s wrong with this world, lmao. It’s really not that deep, that’s like getting upset because somebody named their kid Asia, or something like that. You don’t know why the parents decided to name their kid India. And another thing, India isn’t exotic. Rare as a name, yes, exotic, no. Who cares if there’s a white girl named India? Get off your high horse.

India is not a name, it’s a country. Nothing more cringe than naming your little blonde white girl India, especially if you’re British. Such a remnant of colonial attitudes it’s kind of disgusting, and these comments are even worse - you’d be “ashamed” to be named after a country like India? What an offensive stereotype of a country to perpetuate. It’s not “exotic” it’s literally a country. If my parents named me India I would change my name as soon as I was able to. So cringe. Imagine naming your child England or Germany... so weird.

India is a nice name, especially India Rose. I would only really name my child this if I had some sort of connection to India. Like if I fell in love there, traveled there for a long time, birthplace, etc.

India is a beautiful name.

It has an okay sound, but I would be ashamed to be named after a country with such rampant poverty and discrimination against women. It's also weird if the person with this name has no ties to the country and has never been there.

Ridiculous name.

I quite like this name. It doesn’t have to mean the country, it can mean what the name of the country means. I don’t see why it has to be so different than naming your child after a flower.

Not particularly a fan, but it is a better name then Pakistan, Nepal, or Bangladesh and the name sounds somewhat sweet.

I usually don't like place names, but I love India. I probably wouldn't use it, unless I had something significant happen there.

I prefer Indiana.

I'm sorry if I offend anyone with my impression but this name sounds exotic. I think this name sounds hippie-ish and I kind of like that image. This name ages well but does not sound very professional. I like the way this name rolls off the tongue.

I would only use the name India if I had a special connection to the place, such as falling in love there or giving birth there.

Pretty and unusual, but a bit too geographical.

My name is India Florence- my parents met in India.
When I was younger I was teased for my name. It was so annoying so I hated my name but as I got older I learnt to love it.

My daughter's names are Delta and India. I often get told that they both have nice names. India is strong and you can use Indy for short. I've always liked Indy as a name and my husband suggested India so we went for that. I don't mind that it's a country's name. Indus comes from Sanskrit that means river so I prefer to think of ties to that rather than the country as such. Italy is also a nice name for a girl I think.

India is much better then Prussia or Afghanistan as name, I actually really like India on a girl. I do not like China or Asia though. India Azure would be cute.

This is a country name. Your daughter is not a country.

Why are place names a thing? Pretentious, anyone?

My name is India and to be totally honest I am really offended that there are so many hate comments about the name. I am proud of my name and I find it very unique and expresses who I am through it. I feel an urge to encourage people to use this name more freely without people insulting it (as such). I think India is a beautiful name and I know quite a few other people called India. I am not ashamed of my name and I hope no one with the name India feels the need to change it because of others. Everyone is beautiful in their own way.

I love the name India it's such a beautiful name, but when I was naming my gorgeous cocker spaniel, my thoughts were more American Indian, who revered animals. She is tri coloured so it isn't offensive and not named after anyone or the country India.
Plus, I believe if you name something you love totally and completely as I do her, then how can it possibly be offensive. You would never call somebody something you hated.

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.

I am responding to a comment made by MyNameIsIndia on 7/31/2016. You mentioned that you were named by your parents after a famous and influential female politician, India Edwards. I am the granddaughter of India Edwards and I am named India as well. I am the fourth India in my family, India Edwards' mother was named India, India Edwards' daughter was named India, And I am her daughter also named India, my oldest daughter is named India and so is my grand daughter. So we have 6 generations of India’s! I have always loved my name and am glad I was lucky enough to be the one who was named India. I have an older and several younger sisters. Most people who hear my name make very positive comments. I know my grandmother had several babies of friends and acquaintances named after her and my mother also had a good friend name her daughter India. I wonder who you are?

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.

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?

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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. :)

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.

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

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

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?

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 :)

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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. :)

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.

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

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).

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

This is a purty name.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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