| Sable | Indigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | black | Deep blue-purple dye |
| Origin | english | English |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Pronunciation | SAY-buhl | IN-dih-goh |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1971 |
| Peak year | 1986 (181) | 2025 (318) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 318 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Sable | Indigo |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 197 | 1,693 |
| 2010s | 175 | 1,148 |
| 2000s | 221 | 597 |
| 1990s | 503 | 565 |
| 1980s | 560 | 12 |
| 1970s | 0 | 5 |
| 1950s | 12 | 0 |
| 1940s | 11 | 0 |
| 1930s | 12 | 0 |
| 1920s | 11 | 0 |
A word-name from 'sable', which in heraldry denotes the colour black; derived via Old French from the dark-furred sable marten. Note: a vocabulary name, with the 'black' meaning coming from the heraldic term.
Indigo names the deep blue-purple dye and colour, from the Greek for “Indian.”
Indigo is more popular than Sable today: about 318 US babies were given the name Indigo in 2025, compared with 0 named Sable.
Sable means black (english origin), while Indigo means Deep blue-purple dye (English origin).
In US records, Sable first appears in 0 and Indigo in 1971, so Sable has the longer recorded history.