Indianapolis is the Indiana capital whose name was chosen in 1821 to mean “Indiana city.”
The name combines “Indiana,” meaning land of the Indians, with “polis,” the Greek word for city. Jeremiah Sullivan, a judge and early civic leader, is commonly credited with suggesting the name. It replaced other proposals, including Tecumseh and Suwarrow.
The Indiana legislature selected a site near the geographic center of the state for the capital in 1820, and Indianapolis was officially platted in 1821. The city later became a major transportation hub because of its rail connections. Indianapolis is also Indiana’s largest city, but its name refers directly to the state rather than to a person or local geographic feature.