girl's name
Agnes
AG-ness (English)
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 277,221
Scotland
#484
2024 births
Agnes is a girl's name from the Greek for pure, and the reason its saint is shown with a lamb is a Latin pun — agnus, lamb, sounds like the Greek hagnos but is a completely different word. It is reviving across five markets.
- Agnes is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 5,303 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 13,477 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Agnes Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 7,242 |
| 1890s | 14,468 |
| 1900s | 17,694 |
| 1910s | 39,354 |
| 1920s | 39,362 |
| 1930s | 18,111 |
| 1940s | 9,543 |
| 1950s | 5,602 |
| 1960s | 2,714 |
| 1970s | 913 |
| 1980s | 744 |
| 1990s | 626 |
| 2000s | 635 |
| 2010s | 1,638 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,336 |
What Agnes Means
Agnes means pure, chaste or holy. The lamb association universally attached to it comes from a Latin word that merely sounds similar and has no etymological connection.
Where Agnes Comes From
Agnes is the Greek hagne, pure or holy, feminine of hagnos — the same root as hagiography. Saint Agnes was martyred in Rome around 304, reputedly at twelve or thirteen, and became one of the most venerated early virgin martyrs. Latin speakers heard her name as agnus, a lamb, and the iconography followed: she is shown holding a lamb, her feast on 21 January involves the blessing of lambs whose wool makes the palliums worn by archbishops, and the whole tradition rests on a pun between two unrelated words in two different languages. It is the clearest case on this site of a false etymology producing real ritual.
Agnes in Use
Agnes peaked in the United States in 1918, when 5,303 babies were registered, and it is reviving. It now ranks 484th in Scotland on 6 births, 509th in England and Wales on 79, 566th in France on 85 and 1,016th in the United States on 246, across 277,221 lifetime births in five markets. The three European markets place it within roughly eighty places of each other, and its 1918 peak puts it with Ethel, Edna and Gladys.
How Popular Is Agnes?
In 2025, Agnes was given to 246 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Agnes Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Agnes Is Spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Agnès | Agnès is Agnes written with a grave accent in France, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #566 in France, against #2,917 for Agnes. | 113,380 |
| Agnés | Agnés is a rare spelling of Agnes, written with an acute accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names That Peaked Alongside Agnes
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Agnes Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Agnes over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Agnes
- English AG-ness /ˈæɡ.nɪs/
3 nicknames for Agnes
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Agnes in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Agnes
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Agnes — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Agnes
What does the name Agnes mean?
Pure or holy, from the Greek hagnos.
Why is Saint Agnes shown with a lamb?
A pun. Latin speakers heard her Greek name as agnus, a lamb — an unrelated word. The iconography and the blessing of lambs follow from the mistake.
Is Agnes coming back?
It is reviving, and it ranks within eighty places across Scotland, England and Wales, and France.
Is Inés the same name?
Yes — the Spanish form of Agnes, by way of the Latin Agnetis.
How popular is the name Agnes?
In 2025, Agnes was given to 246 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Agnes a girl's or a boy's name?
Agnes is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Agnes?
Agnes has 2 syllables.
When was Agnes most popular?
Agnes peaked in 1918, when 5,303 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Agnes?
Agnes is usually shortened to Aggie, Nessa and Nessie.
Is Agnes a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Agnes currently ranks #484 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.