'Indies' (modern sense as plural of 'indie') originates from English, specifically the clipped word 'indie', which is a short form of 'independent' ultimately from Latin 'independens' where 'in-' meant 'not' and 'dependere' meant 'to hang from/lean on'.

'Indies' (geographical) changed from early modern European uses of Latin/Spanish 'Indias' (from Greek/Latin 'India') and was applied by explorers to regions of South and Southeast Asia and later to the Caribbean (hence 'East Indies' and 'West Indies'); the modern clipped 'indie' developed separately in the 20th century from 'independent'.

Initially 'Indies' in the geographic sense meant 'lands associated with India/Indias' as perceived by early European explorers; over time the clipped form 'indie' came to mean 'independent (creative) producers/works', while the geographic meaning remains in fixed phrases like 'East Indies' and 'West Indies'.