boy's name
Innes
IN-iss
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (Scotland)
- Births on record 1,750
Scotland
#152
2024 births
Innes is a boy's name from a Moray place name meaning "island," and in Scotland it has been used for both sexes. It ranks 152nd in Scotland and appears in almost no other market.
- Innes is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in Scotland in 2019, when 77 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in Scotland.
- Today about 1 in 1,271 babies in Scotland is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1974.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Innes over time
Births per decade in Scotland, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2024, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 67 |
| 1980s | 76 |
| 1990s | 143 |
| 2000s | 355 |
| 2010s | 567 |
| 2020s (to 2024) | 284 |
What Innes means
Innes means island, or river meadow, from the Gaelic innis. The word covers an island proper and also the water meadow in a river bend, which is what the Moray lands the name comes from actually are.
Where Innes comes from
Innes comes from the barony of Innes in Moray, from the Gaelic innis, an island or a river meadow — the same word behind Inchcolm and Inchkeith and the Inch place names across Scotland. The Innes family held those lands from a charter of Malcolm IV in 1160, and the clan chief's line eventually produced the Dukes of Roxburghe. The name has been used for girls in Scotland as well as boys, though our data records it as masculine. It is also given as an anglicization of the unrelated Gaelic Aonghas, which properly gives Angus — that pairing is by sound and has no basis. The Spanish Inés, from Agnes, is a separate name entirely that shares the spelling in its unaccented form.
Innes in use
Innes ranks 152nd in Scotland with 30 births in 2024 and is rising in our data with a peak in 2019. Our records carry it from 1974. It is very rare elsewhere at 2,965th in England and Wales and absent from the American tables — one of the more strictly Scottish names in that top 200, alongside Struan and Ailsa.
How popular is Innes?
In 2024, Innes was given to 30 babies in Scotland, ranking #152 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Innes is used
Figures for Scotland withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Innes
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Innes also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Innes over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Innes 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.
- French
- Inès
Sibling names for Innes
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Innes — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Innes
What does the name Innes mean?
Innes means "island" or "river meadow," from the Gaelic innis.
Is Innes the same as Angus?
No. That pairing is by sound alone — Angus comes from Aonghas and is unrelated.
Is Innes a boy's or a girl's name?
It has been used for both in Scotland, though our data records it as masculine.
Is the Spanish Inés related?
No. That comes from Agnes and is a separate name.
How popular is the name Innes?
In 2024, Innes was given to 30 babies in Scotland, ranking #152 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Innes?
Innes has 2 syllables.
When was Innes most popular?
Innes peaked in 2019, when 77 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Innes a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Innes currently ranks #152 in Scotland. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.