Indie
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Meaning
possibly a diminutive of India or Indiana; also likely inspired by indie, short for independent
The story
Indie is a name Behind the Name refuses to pin down, and we pass the honesty along: possibly a diminutive of India or Indiana, but also likely inspired by the term indie, short for independent, the word for music and film made outside the mainstream. The records treat it as brand new either way: single digits for decades, about 170 girls in the 2000s, about 1,400 in the 2010s, and with about 2,800 so far this decade it has already passed its full 2010s total with years to run. A small boys' line has appeared alongside. Two syllables that sound like a record label and a road trip at once; whichever origin a family hears in it, the name says out loud that this kid does her own thing.
How popular is Indie around the world?
In the United States, 2,920 babies were named Indie between 2020 and 2025. In New Zealand, 50 girls named Indie were registered in 2025.
Indie is on the official records of the United States, New Zealand, South Australia, Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales and Canada.
United States
1 in 7,500
In the United States, 2,920 babies were named Indie between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Indie peaked in the 2020s.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
New Zealand
1 in 1,200
In New Zealand, 50 girls named Indie were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
South Australia
1 in 1,2002017
In South Australia, 15 girls were registered as Indie in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Ireland
1 in 1,300
In Ireland, 43 girls named Indie were born in 2025, the 109th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Scotland
1 in 1,500
In Scotland, 30 girls named Indie were registered in 2024, the 146th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
England and Wales
1 in 1,600
In England and Wales, 367 girls named Indie were born in 2025, the 134th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Canada
1 in 9,600
In Canada, 38 girls named Indie were born in 2024, the 772nd most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Argentina
last on record 2019
Indie is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 6 in a year, too few to chart.
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Austria
last on record 2023
Indie is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Puerto Rico and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Indie
Most people given the name Indie in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Indie deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Indie truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Indie fits with your family’s names and surname.
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