Agnes
Agnes was given to 246 girls in 2025, #1,016 among girls’ names; 159,982 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 22,000 Americans named Agnes and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (14% of everyone recorded); the median is 74 years old and half are between 54 and 84.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Agnes by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Agnes mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Agnes is “a female given name from Ancient Greek.” Its etymology gives the senses “pure, chaste” (ἁγνός) and “purity, chastity” (ἁγνεία).
Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἁγνή (Hagnḗ), coming from Ancient Greek ἁγνός (hagnós, “pure, chaste”), Ancient Greek ἁγνεία (hagneía, “purity, chastity”). Doublet of Inez.
/ˈæɡ.nɪs/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Agnes?
#1,016 among girls’ names, 2025
Agnes rose from #1,275 in 2015 to #1,016 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 0.11 to 0.15 per 1,000.
5,303 babies in 1918, the peak
Agnes peaked in 1918, when 5,303 babies were given it (5,291 girls, #47 among girls’ names). The 246 births of 2025 are 5% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 246 | #1,016 | 0.15 |
| 2024 | 235 | #1,061 | 0.15 |
| 2023 | 229 | #1,081 | 0.14 |
| 2022 | 228 | #1,095 | 0.14 |
| 2021 | 216 | #1,138 | 0.13 |
| 2020 | 182 | #1,247 | 0.11 |
| 2019 | 215 | #1,125 | 0.13 |
| 2018 | 198 | #1,199 | 0.12 |
| 2017 | 199 | #1,208 | 0.12 |
| 2016 | 233 | #1,103 | 0.13 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 191 | #1,275 | 0.11 |
| 2014 | 191 | #1,261 | 0.11 |
| 2013 | 124 | #1,689 | 0.07 |
| 2012 | 123 | #1,700 | 0.07 |
| 2011 | 97 | #2,019 | 0.06 |
| 2010 | 67 | #2,672 | 0.04 |
| 2009 | 81 | #2,374 | 0.04 |
| 2008 | 61 | #2,887 | 0.03 |
| 2007 | 65 | #2,787 | 0.03 |
| 2006 | 68 | #2,632 | 0.04 |
| 2005 | 59 | #2,784 | 0.03 |
| 2004 | 57 | #2,805 | 0.03 |
| 2003 | 62 | #2,576 | 0.03 |
| 2002 | 54 | #2,776 | 0.03 |
| 2001 | 60 | #2,536 | 0.03 |
| 2000 | 68 | #2,275 | 0.04 |
| 1999 | 63 | #2,340 | 0.04 |
| 1998 | 64 | #2,218 | 0.04 |
| 1997 | 48 | #2,619 | 0.03 |
| 1996 | 64 | #2,122 | 0.04 |
| 1995 | 61 | #2,185 | 0.03 |
| 1994 | 59 | #2,227 | 0.03 |
| 1993 | 55 | #2,319 | 0.03 |
| 1992 | 69 | #1,982 | 0.04 |
| 1991 | 67 | #2,028 | 0.04 |
| 1990 | 76 | #1,858 | 0.04 |
| 1989 | 79 | #1,713 | 0.04 |
| 1988 | 76 | #1,684 | 0.04 |
| 1987 | 71 | #1,698 | 0.04 |
| 1986 | 69 | #1,690 | 0.04 |
| 1985 | 67 | #1,709 | 0.04 |
| 1984 | 63 | #1,727 | 0.04 |
| 1983 | 82 | #1,423 | 0.05 |
| 1982 | 69 | #1,653 | 0.04 |
| 1981 | 91 | #1,362 | 0.05 |
| 1980 | 77 | #1,529 | 0.05 |
| 1979 | 72 | #1,592 | 0.04 |
| 1978 | 65 | #1,633 | 0.04 |
| 1977 | 63 | #1,661 | 0.04 |
| 1976 | 66 | #1,535 | 0.05 |
| 1975 | 86 | #1,291 | 0.06 |
| 1974 | 94 | #1,185 | 0.06 |
| 1973 | 94 | #1,160 | 0.06 |
| 1972 | 121 | #988 | 0.08 |
| 1971 | 132 | #966 | 0.08 |
| 1970 | 120 | #1,026 | 0.07 |
| 1969 | 129 | #936 | 0.08 |
| 1968 | 154 | #817 | 0.09 |
| 1967 | 193 | #702 | 0.12 |
| 1966 | 203 | #685 | 0.12 |
| 1965 | 258 | #602 | 0.15 |
| 1964 | 278 | #595 | 0.15 |
| 1963 | 321 | #541 | 0.17 |
| 1962 | 354 | #521 | 0.18 |
| 1961 | 396 | #490 | 0.20 |
| 1960 | 428 | #472 | 0.21 |
| 1959 | 424 | #468 | 0.21 |
| 1958 | 419 | #462 | 0.21 |
| 1957 | 494 | #419 | 0.24 |
| 1956 | 508 | #401 | 0.25 |
| 1955 | 563 | #368 | 0.29 |
| 1954 | 524 | #377 | 0.27 |
| 1953 | 640 | #326 | 0.34 |
| 1952 | 627 | #325 | 0.34 |
| 1951 | 655 | #307 | 0.36 |
| 1950 | 748 | #286 | 0.44 |
| 1949 | 722 | #288 | 0.42 |
| 1948 | 835 | #268 | 0.49 |
| 1947 | 839 | #264 | 0.47 |
| 1946 | 868 | #243 | 0.55 |
| 1945 | 824 | #230 | 0.63 |
| 1944 | 961 | #206 | 0.72 |
| 1943 | 1,054 | #200 | 0.76 |
| 1942 | 1,132 | #187 | 0.84 |
| 1941 | 1,093 | #179 | 0.90 |
| 1940 | 1,190 | #170 | 1.0 |
| 1939 | 1,299 | #162 | 1.2 |
| 1938 | 1,393 | #157 | 1.3 |
| 1937 | 1,421 | #153 | 1.3 |
| 1936 | 1,592 | #139 | 1.5 |
| 1935 | 1,589 | #138 | 1.5 |
| 1934 | 1,932 | #120 | 1.9 |
| 1933 | 1,876 | #118 | 1.9 |
| 1932 | 2,117 | #115 | 2.0 |
| 1931 | 2,303 | #103 | 2.2 |
| 1930 | 2,510 | #102 | 2.2 |
| 1929 | 2,770 | #94 | 2.5 |
| 1928 | 3,023 | #85 | 2.6 |
| 1927 | 3,338 | #81 | 2.8 |
| 1926 | 3,533 | #77 | 3.0 |
| 1925 | 3,911 | #69 | 3.2 |
| 1924 | 4,240 | #63 | 3.4 |
| 1923 | 4,222 | #63 | 3.5 |
| 1922 | 4,480 | #62 | 3.7 |
| 1921 | 4,798 | #56 | 3.9 |
| 1920 | 4,907 | #54 | 4.1 |
| 1919 | 4,901 | #50 | 4.3 |
| 1918 | 5,291 | #47 | 4.6 |
| 1917 | 5,066 | #48 | 4.7 |
| 1916 | 4,852 | #50 | 4.6 |
| 1915 | 4,795 | #45 | 4.9 |
| 1914 | 3,721 | #44 | 4.9 |
| 1913 | 3,206 | #41 | 5.1 |
| 1912 | 2,945 | #40 | 5.3 |
| 1911 | 2,315 | #39 | 5.5 |
| 1910 | 2,163 | #41 | 5.5 |
| 1909 | 1,974 | #42 | 5.7 |
| 1908 | 1,934 | #45 | 5.8 |
| 1907 | 1,829 | #46 | 5.7 |
| 1906 | 1,758 | #41 | 6.0 |
| 1905 | 1,718 | #43 | 5.9 |
| 1904 | 1,672 | #42 | 6.1 |
| 1903 | 1,616 | #39 | 6.2 |
| 1902 | 1,676 | #40 | 6.3 |
| 1901 | 1,525 | #39 | 6.4 |
| 1900 | 1,914 | #41 | 6.4 |
| 1899 | 1,611 | #37 | 6.9 |
| 1898 | 1,708 | #40 | 6.6 |
| 1897 | 1,579 | #40 | 6.7 |
| 1896 | 1,654 | #38 | 7.0 |
| 1895 | 1,466 | #40 | 6.3 |
| 1894 | 1,470 | #38 | 6.6 |
| 1893 | 1,393 | #38 | 6.5 |
| 1892 | 1,328 | #43 | 6.3 |
| 1891 | 1,125 | #47 | 6.1 |
| 1890 | 1,095 | #50 | 5.8 |
| 1889 | 1,033 | #50 | 5.8 |
| 1888 | 1,046 | #48 | 5.9 |
| 1887 | 896 | #46 | 6.1 |
| 1886 | 779 | #52 | 5.4 |
| 1885 | 695 | #54 | 5.2 |
| 1884 | 703 | #53 | 5.4 |
| 1883 | 623 | #52 | 5.5 |
| 1882 | 565 | #54 | 5.2 |
| 1881 | 424 | #61 | 4.6 |
| 1880 | 473 | #54 | 5.2 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Agnes a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Agnes has been given almost only to girls: 465 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Agnes: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Agnes, and how old are they?
22,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 14% of the 159,982 Americans ever recorded as Agnes. The median Agnes alive today is 74 years old; half are between 54 and 84.
The 2020 Census counted 37,898 people named Agnes (37,813 women and girls, 85 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 29,438 born in the U.S. The Census count is 29% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 7,050 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 7,990 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 1,770 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 1,090 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,090 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 2,670 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Agnes born?
The states with the most babies named Agnes are Pennsylvania, New York and Illinois, with 28% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 13,846 | #1,395 | 1.4× |
| New York | 13,073 | #903 | 1.2× |
| Illinois | 5,307 | #1,414 | 0.8× |
| Ohio | 4,977 | #743 | 0.8× |
| Massachusetts | 4,449 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| New Jersey | 4,319 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Michigan | 4,082 | #738 | 0.9× |
| Texas | 3,711 | #1,618 | 0.6× |
| Georgia | 3,516 | #1,214 | 0.9× |
| Wisconsin | 3,417 | #448 | 1.2× |
Where Agnes is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Agnes is most over-represented in Alaska: since 1910 it was given 2.6 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Agnes with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 160,729 babies since 1880, Agnes is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 246 of their 246 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Agnes
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Agnes and names like it
- Compare Agnes and AgnessBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sAgnes peaked in 1918.
- Pennsylvania’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Agnes since 1910.
- Ancient Greek namesWiktionary’s origin for Agnes: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1918The year the most babies were named Agnes.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Agnes alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with AMost given first.