Total births
159,517
Girls' name · since 1880
Agnes
Agnes has 159,517 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1918 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1061
- among girls today
- 159,517
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Agnes currently ranks #1061 among girls' names in America, with 159,517 babies recorded since 1880.
Agnes has 159,517 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1061 as of the latest data, more common than 94% of girls, busiest in the 1910s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1061 among girls today
- 159,517 born since 1880
- 1910s peak decade
- 94% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Agnes is currently the #1061 girls' name in America, more common than 94% of girls - 159,517 born since 1880, peaking in the 1910s.
- #1061
- among girls today
- 159,517
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Agnes vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1061
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
1910s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Agnes was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
5,291 babies were named Agnes in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Agnes compares
159,517 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Agnes's all-time total is 418x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Agnes | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 159,517 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 5,291 | 48 | 19,840 |
Agnes's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Agnes splits its recorded history at 1953: 8% of all births land in the more recent half, 92% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1997 (48 births) -- compare that against the 1918 peak of 5,291 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Agnes at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1918
Current rank
#1,061
Active since
1880
Agnes popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 5,291
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Agnes popularity over time - boys
465 total births recorded since 1887 (Agnes as boys' name)
Agnes by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1910s was Agnes's strongest decade.
39,255 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Agnes births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 7,237
1880s
7,237 births
- 1890s 14,429
1890s
14,429 births
- 1900s
1900s
17,616 births
- 1910s
1910s
39,255 births
- 1920s
1920s
39,222 births
- 1930s
1930s
18,032 births
- 1940s 9,518
1940s
9,518 births
- 1950s 5,602
1950s
5,602 births
- 1960s 2,714
1960s
2,714 births
- 1970s 913
1970s
913 births
- 1980s 744
1980s
744 births
- 1990s 626
1990s
626 births
- 2000s 635
2000s
635 births
- 2010s 1,638
2010s
1,638 births
- 2020s 1,336
2020s
1,336 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 39,255 births (25% of all-time use).
How Agnes compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Agnes's total volume
Agnes vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Agnes by state
Where Agnes concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 13,846 | 8.7% |
| #2 | New York | | 13,073 | 8.2% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 5,307 | 3.3% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 4,977 | 3.1% |
| #5 | Massachusetts | | 4,449 | 2.8% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 4,319 | 2.7% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 4,082 | 2.6% |
| #8 | Texas | | 3,711 | 2.3% |
Pennsylvania share of Agnes's total US births 8.7%
Even split
13,846 of 159,517 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Agnes appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Agnes? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 159,517 babies named Agnes. Today it holds rank #1061 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1918, with 5,291 births.
When was Agnes most popular? ▼
Agnes was most popular in the 1910s decade with 39,255 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Agnes most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Agnes are Pennsylvania (13,846 births), New York (13,073 births), Illinois (5,307 births).
How long has the name Agnes been used? ▼
Agnes has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Agnes? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Agness, Agnieszka, Agnita, Agnese, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Agnes's data
- Agnes's decade-level peak was the 1910s (39,255 total births); usage has since declined to 1,336 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Agness (13,846 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Agnes
Nearby Names Like Agnes
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Agnes
Agness Girl
747 births
Agnieszka Girl
233 births
Agnita Girl
30 births
Agnese Girl
16 births
Agnia Girl
#17085 15 births
Compare Agnes side by side: Agnes vs Agness Agnes vs Agnieszka Agnes vs Agnita
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Agnes
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Agnes: #1061 Girls' Name - 159,517 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/agnes. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Agnes draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.