Where does the name Agnes come from?

Agnes is a girl name of Ancient Greek origin.

Is Agnes a boy or a girl name?

Agnes is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 159,036 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Agnes in 2023?

Agnes ranks #1081 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1918 with 5,291 babies.

How do you pronounce Agnes?

Agnes is pronounced AG-ness (2 syllables).

What are common spellings of Agnes?

Agnes is also written as Agnese, Inés, Annis.

A name from Ancient Greek · Girl

Agnes

From Greek hagnē meaning 'pure' or 'chaste' — folk-etymologized in Latin as agnus ('lamb'), which became the saint's emblem. Saint Agnes was a 3rd-century Roman virgin martyr.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 143-year arc in numbers.

159,036 U.S. births recorded from 1880–2023.

Popularity · 1880–2023

229 births in 2023

1880 1951 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

AFrom Greek hagnē meaning 'pure' or 'chaste' — folk-etymologized in Latin as agnus ('lamb'), which became the saint's emblem. Saint Agnes was a 3rd-century Roman virgin martyr.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Agnes".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Agnese Most common Inés Annis

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Agnes.

A
Saint Agnes of Rome (martyr)
A
Agnes Moorehead (actress)
A
Agnès Varda (French filmmaker)

Quick answers

People often ask about Agnes.

What does the name Agnes mean?: Agnes means from Greek hagnē meaning 'pure' or 'chaste' — folk-etymologized in Latin as agnus ('lamb'), which became the saint's emblem. Saint Agnes was a 3rd-century Roman virgin martyr.
Where does the name Agnes come from?: Agnes is a girl name of Ancient Greek origin.
Is Agnes a boy or a girl name?: Agnes is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 159,036 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Agnes in 2023?: Agnes ranks #1081 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1918 with 5,291 babies.
How do you pronounce Agnes?: Agnes is pronounced AG-ness (2 syllables).
What are common spellings of Agnes?: Agnes is also written as Agnese, Inés, Annis.

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.