US rank #1063 Girls' name Peak 1918 159,270 births

Agnes — #1063 US girls' name

159,270 babies named Agnes in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s72371890s144291900s176161910s392551920s392221930s180321940s95181950s56021960s27151970s9141980s7441990s6262000s6352010s16382020s1087
#1063
of 17,661 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.

What the Data Says About Agnes

The Social Security Administration has registered 159,270 babies named Agnes between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Agnes currently holds the #1063 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1918, when 5,291 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Agnes performed strongest in the 1910s, accumulating 39,255 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Agnes shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Pennsylvania, which accounts for 13,841 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by New York and Illinois. In total, SSA state-level files list Agnes in 50 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Agnes in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 159,270 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Agnes at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

159,270

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1918

5,291 births that year

Strongest decade: 1910s

Current rank

#1,063

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Agnes popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1918)
5,291
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2,00002,0004,0006,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 473

Agnes popularity over time — boys

465 total births recorded since 1887 (Agnes as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 465 births
05101520 194919341928192219161909190218941887 5

Agnes by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1910s
Peak decade
1910s
39,255 births that decade — 25% of Agnes's all-time total
1880s72371890s144291900s176161910s392551920s392221930s180321940s95181950s56021960s27151970s9141980s7441990s6262000s6352010s16382020s1087

Agnes by state

Where Agnes concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Agnes
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Pennsylvania
13,841 8.7%
#2 New York
13,057 8.2%
#3 Illinois
5,306 3.3%
#4 Ohio
4,965 3.1%
#5 Massachusetts
4,448 2.8%
#6 New Jersey
4,319 2.7%
#7 Michigan
4,072 2.6%
#8 Texas
3,697 2.3%
Pennsylvania share of Agnes's total US births 8.7%
Even split

13,841 of 159,270 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?
159,270 babies have been named Agnes since 1880. It currently ranks #1063 among girls. The peak year 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 (13,841 births), New York (13,057 births), Illinois (5,306 births).
How long has the name Agnes been used?
Agnes has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
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.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.