girl's name
Inez
ee-NEZ
- Origin Spanish
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 69,814
Scotland
#875
2009 births
Inez means chaste, and the Spanish spelling hides a Greek original — Agnes became Inés because Spanish dropped the initial vowel sound, so the two look unrelated and are the same name. Its strongest market is the United States, at 1400th.
- Inez is a name of Spanish origin.
- Peaked in 1920, when 2,131 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 21,253 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Inez over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,633 |
| 1890s | 3,682 |
| 1900s | 6,126 |
| 1910s | 16,442 |
| 1920s | 17,820 |
| 1930s | 8,724 |
| 1940s | 4,841 |
| 1950s | 3,188 |
| 1960s | 1,925 |
| 1970s | 1,242 |
| 1980s | 894 |
| 1990s | 687 |
| 2000s | 632 |
| 2010s | 705 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 767 |
What Inez means
Inez means chaste or pure. The Greek hagnos is the ordinary adjective, and a later Latin association with agnus, a lamb, added a second reading it did not originally have.
Where Inez comes from
Inez is an English spelling of the Spanish Inés, which is Agnes — from the Greek hagnos, chaste or holy. Spanish lost the initial vowel sound, which is why the two forms look nothing alike. A separate Latin reading connects it to agnus, a lamb, and Saint Agnes is shown with one in art on that basis, though the lamb is a pun rather than an etymology. Inés de Castro was posthumously crowned queen of Portugal, having been murdered years earlier.
Inez in use
Inez peaked in the United States in 1920, when 2,131 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It charts in three of the seven markets we track — 1,400th in the United States on 156 births and 2060th in England and Wales on 13 — across 69,814 lifetime births. Our records carry it from 1880.
How popular is Inez?
In 2025, Inez was given to 156 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Inez 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.
Names that peaked alongside Inez
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Inez also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Inez over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Inez 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 Inez
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Inez — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Inez
What does the name Inez mean?
Chaste — the Greek hagnos, through Agnes.
Is Inez really Agnes?
Yes. Spanish dropped the initial vowel sound, which is why the two look unrelated.
Why is Saint Agnes shown with a lamb?
A pun on the Latin agnus, a lamb — not the name's actual origin.
Is Inez coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, at 1400th in the United States.
How popular is the name Inez?
In 2025, Inez was given to 156 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Inez a girl's or a boy's name?
Inez is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Inez?
Inez has 2 syllables.
When was Inez most popular?
Inez peaked in 1920, when 2,131 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Inez a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Inez currently ranks #1,400 in the United States. After peaking in the 1920s 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.