George Lucas's dog that inspired the character Indiana Jones was named Indiana.
Indiana was Lucas's Alaskan Malamute, and the dog's name supplied the first name for the fictional archaeologist. Lucas originally developed the hero under the name Indiana Smith before the character became Indiana Jones during the film's development.
The dog influenced Lucas's work in another famous way: its large, furry appearance helped inspire the look of Chewbacca in Star Wars. That makes Indiana an unusual link between two of Lucas's best-known cinematic creations.
The name is also part of a joke in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. When Henry Jones Sr. reacts to his son's nickname, Indy explains that Indiana was the family dog's name. The films' hero is formally Dr. Henry Walton Jones Jr.; “Indiana” is the nickname that became iconic. The adventure concept itself drew heavily on 1930s film serials, even though the character's name came from Lucas's pet.