India (given name)
India is a feminine given name derived from the name of the country India, which takes its name from the Indus River. The name was used for India Wilkes, a character in the novel and movie "Gone with the Wind". Its use for girls in England began during the British rule in India during the 19th century. It has been used for daughters of aristocratic families in England that had ties to Colonial India, such as India Hicks. Just like names derived from seasons like Summer, Dawn, Solstice, Autumn are feminine, India is internationally recognized as a female name since it is the name of a country and it had been used as a feminine given name for more than hundred years in England and the U.S. Although India is a feminine given name in the world, it is not a popular given name in India. Girls who are given this name are usually called with a nickname "Indy", or "Indie" which are also given names for girls in English speaking countries.
Hindus
The word "Hindu" is derived from the Indo-Aryan and Sanskrit word "Sindhu", which means "a large body of water", covering "river, ocean". It was used as the name of the Indus river and also referred to its tributaries. The actual term " first occurs, states Gavin Flood, as "a Persian geographical term for the people who lived beyond the river Indus (Sanskrit: "Sindhu")", more specifically in the 6th-century BCE inscription of Darius I. The Punjab region, called Sapta Sindhu in the Vedas, is called "Hapta Hindu" in Zend Avesta. The 6th-century BCE inscription of Darius I mentions the province of "Hi[n]dush", referring to northwestern India. The people of India were referred to as "Hinduvān" (Hindus) and "hindavī" was used as the adjective for Indian in the 8th century text "Chachnama". The term 'Hindu' in these ancient records is an ethno-geographical term and did not refer to a religion. The Arabic equivalent "Al-Hind" likewise referred to the country of India.