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Indigo

♂ Boy

Pronounced IN-dih-goh /ˈɪn.dɪ.ɡoʊ/Medium

Meaning: A word name for the blue-violet color and dye, from Greek indikon "Indian substance," i.e. the dye that came from India.Medium

In 30 seconds: Indigo is a word name for the deep blue-violet dye, from the Greek 'indikon', meaning 'Indian substance' — the dye that once came from India. It carries both a color and a faraway origin in one word.
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Origin MediumEnglish, Greek
MeaningA word name for the blue-violet color and dye, from Greek indikon "Indian substance," i.e. the dye that came from India.
U.S. rank (2024)#1629 ↗ Rising
2024 U.S. births104 boys (0.01% of U.S. boys)
Peak year2022
Total births (all-time)≈ 1,107

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 202219942024

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

History & Origin

The word travels back to Greek 'indikon', literally 'the Indian thing', named for the country the dye was traded from. Over centuries it came to mean the rich blue-violet shade itself. As a boys' name, Indigo borrows that depth of color and its sense of distant trade routes.

Indigo has a cool, artistic feel and sits at the edge of the rainbow, between blue and violet. Among color names it stands out as one of the more unusual and saturated choices.

Did you know? The meaning usually attached to Indigo is 'Indic, from India', and that core idea is what gives the name most of its long-term appeal.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Indigo — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

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If you like Indigo…

Cedar— A nature word name with a similar earthy, unconventional appeal to Indigo.
Sage— A color-and-plant word name chosen for the same artistic reasons as Indigo.
Wren— A short nature word name that shares Indigo's offbeat, evocative quality.

Frequently Asked

What does the name Indigo mean?

Indigo is usually explained as meaning 'Indic, from India' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Indigo?

It's commonly said IN-dih-goh /ˈɪn.dɪ.ɡoʊ/.

Is Indigo a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Indigo is used as a boy name.

How popular is Indigo?

In 2024, Indigo ranked #1629 in the U.S. for boys, with 104 births recorded.