What is Indiana Jones' real name?

Archeology professor by day, and a tomb raider by night, Dr. Jones almost made us want to pursue a PhD. Almost. Maybe if we actually got to keep any treasure we hunted I would be convinced. Indiana Jones was an icon of the ‘80s and remains a classic character to this day. Everything from his hat and whip to his name is just plain cool. Except Indiana isn’t Dr. Jones’ real name. His birth name must’ve been really bad to choose a name like Indiana, right? Do you remember Indie’s real name?

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The answer is: Henry Walton Jones Jr.

We were first introduced to Indiana Jones in 1981’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. The film, set in 1936, opens with the iconic tomb raiding scene of Indie retrieving the golden idol from the pedestal and making his daring escape. As far as openings for an adventure film go, few are more effective.

It isn’t until the “Last Crusade” in 1989 that we learn Indie’s true identity. After reuniting with his father, played by the cool Sean Connery, we hear him refer to his son as “Junior.” Since we know his father’s name is Henry Walton Jones, that makes Indie’s real name Henry Walton Jones Jr.

The character of Indiana Jones was created by George Lucas as a new interpretation of the old serials he watched as a kid. That, plus Harrison Ford’s perfect performance, explains the character’s personality and cool factor, but not his name.

The nickname Indiana has a bit of a hairy origin. George Lucas named the character after his Alaskan Malamute dog. Keep that in mind because it will be important later. Apparently, the dog was also the inspiration for Chewbacca.

And what's the in-universe explanation for Indie's namesake? Well, Jones Sr. once again gives us the answer when he reveals that they named their own fictional family dog Indiana. Talk about art imitating life, huh?

Regardless of the reason, I do think it was a way better choice to go with Indiana over Henry. Something about Henry Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Arc or Henry Jones and the Last Crusade just doesn’t hit the same way.