Agnes
Feminine · Greek roots · “chaste”
Agnes is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 159,517 girls against 465 boys since 1880.
Agnes has been spelled exactly this way in English since the Middle Ages, when it stood among the most common names given to women in England — the sort of name that fills parish registers and wills for centuries on end. Two hard consonants at the front, a soft hiss at the end. It has been strongly represented among older generations for a long while now, and is turning up again on birth certificates.
How old is the name Agnes?
Agnes was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Agnes alive today was born around 1918, making them about 107 years old. About 24,500 people named Agnes are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Agnes most popular?
Agnes peaked in 1899, reaching #37 nationally. Today it ranks #1016, 979 places below that high. See the whole 1899 chart.
Where it comes from
From Hagnē (Greek) to Agnes
The story of Agnes
The name is Greek in origin — hagnē, "chaste" or "holy" — and it traveled on the reputation of Agnes of Rome, a girl martyred in the early fourth century and venerated across Latin Christendom ever after. Her cult carried the name into every corner of Europe, where each language reshaped it: Inés in Spanish, Inês in Portuguese, Agnese in Italian, Agnieszka in Polish. It reached England with the Normans and was so heavily used there that everyday speech wore it down to Annis and Annes, forms that survive in English surnames. From Britain and from Scandinavia it crossed to America with emigrating families, and it has been on the records here from the earliest years such records were kept.
Meaning
chaste, pure, holy
From Greek hagnē, feminine of hagnos, "chaste, holy". Latin speakers later heard the similar word agnus, "lamb", which is why Saint Agnes is pictured holding one — an association added by sound, not by descent.
How the name formed
- HagnēGreek
- AgnesLatin
- Annis / Annesmedieval English
- Agnes
Related forms: Inés · Agnès · Agnese · Agnieszka · Agneta · Inês
Pronouncing Agnes
AG-nis
Two syllables, stress on the first. The French Agnès is said roughly an-YESS, and Spanish-speaking relatives may naturally use Inés — worth knowing if that matters in your family.
Nicknames for Agnes
High
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 19185,291 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #37reached in 1899
- Change vs 2022
- +7.9%246 in 2025, from 228
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Agnes in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Inés in Spanish — same name
- Agnès in French — same name
- Agnese in Italian — same name
- Agnieszka in Polish — related form
- Agneta in Swedish — related form
- Inês in Portuguese — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Texas.
Agness among us
people named Agnes are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 6,534 born in 2025 was named Agnes
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Agnes is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Agnes is headed
Agnes should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Agnes beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Agnes in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Spelled one way in English for centuries; almost nobody will ask you how to write it.
- A ready-made short form in Aggie, in continuous use for generations, plus Nessa and Ness.
- Recognizable across much of Europe through Inés, Agnese, Agnès and Agnieszka.
- An unbroken written record from late antiquity to the present, which few names can claim.
- It still reads as a name of older generations to many American ears, because that is where most living bearers are. That is changing, but slowly — a child may be the only Agnes anyone in her class has met.
- Aggie is the near-automatic nickname. If you dislike it, decide early what you will offer instead, because other people will supply one.
- Said quickly it can be misheard as Angus or Agnus. A clear first syllable usually settles it.
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What they receive
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Agnes
Feminine · Greek roots · #1016 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Agness are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 24,500 people named Agnes are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Agnes in 2025?
- Agnes ranks #1016 among US girl names in 2025, with 246 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Agnes?
- About 1 in every 6,534 US girls born in 2025 was named Agnes — 246 in all.
- Will my child share the name Agnes with classmates?
- Agnes will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Agnes
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Artemis#1016 · Yusra#1016 · Beverly#1016 · Marjorie#1016 · Meera#1016 · Viola#1013 · Belle#1013 · Cynthia#1013
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Agnes? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Agnes and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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