Gender Feminine
Scripts Ἁγνή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced Pron. AG-nis(English) AK-nəs(German) AHKH-nehs(Dutch) ANG-nehs(Swedish) OW-nes(Danish)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Latinized form of the Greek name Ἁγνή (Hagne), derived from Greek ἁγνός (hagnos) meaning "chaste". Saint Agnes was a virgin martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. The name became associated with Latin agnus "lamb", resulting in the saint's frequent depiction with a lamb by her side. Due to her renown, the name became common in Christian Europe.

As an English name it was highly popular from the Middle Ages until the 17th century. It was revived in the 19th century and was common into the 20th, but it fell into decline after the 1930s. It last appeared on the American top 1000 rankings in 1972.

Related Names

VariantsAnnice, Annis, Inez(English) Agneta, Agnetha(Swedish) Agnete, Agnethe(Norwegian) Agnete, Agnethe(Danish) Hagne(Ancient Greek)
DiminutivesAggie, Nancy(English) Nes, Neske(Dutch) Age(Estonian)
Other Languages & CulturesAgnesa(Albanian) Oanez(Breton) Agnès(Catalan) Agneza, Ines, Janja, Nensi(Croatian) Anežka(Czech) Aune, Iines(Finnish) Agnès, Inès(French) Agni(Greek) Ágnes, Ági(Hungarian) Aignéis, Nainsí(Irish) Agnese, Ines(Italian) Agnese, Agnija, Inese, Ina(Latvian) Agnė, Inesa(Lithuanian) Agnija(Macedonian) Agnieszka, Jaga, Jagienka, Jagna, Jagusia(Polish) Inês(Portuguese) Agnessa, Inessa, Agnia, Agniya(Russian) Agnija, Janja(Serbian) Agnesa, Agneša(Slovak) Ines, Janja, Neža(Slovene) Inés(Spanish) Inessa(Ukrainian) Nest, Nesta(Welsh)
Same SpellingÁgnes, Agnès
User SubmissionAgnés

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   natural   wholesome   strong   refined   strange   simple   serious  

Name Days

Austria: January 21
Austria: March 2
Denmark: January 21
Estonia: January 21
Germany: January 21
Norway: January 21
Sweden: January 21

Images

Depiction of Saint Agnes by Francisco de Zurbarán (1642)Depiction of Saint Agnes by Francisco de Zurbarán (1642)

Categories

Entry updated April 25, 2021