Was Indiana named after India? or Indians?

Question

Was Indiana named after India? or Indians?

Answer 1

Indiana means "land of the Indians."  Remember that when Christopher Columbus got to North America he thought he was in India so he called the people he found there Indians and that name stuck for European explorers even after they knew that they weren't in India.  So the state is named after Native Americans but, in a strange way, it is also named after India.

Answer 2

THE NAME:

Indiana was the name given to the Indiana Territory by the United States Congress when Indiana was created from the Northwest Territory in 1800.

It means "Land of Indians."

here's the resource link

http://www.netstate.com/states/intro/in_...