girls' name ★ peaked 1918

Agnes

Meaning pure, chaste Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,016 Trend ↑ Rising 24%

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἁγνή (Hagnḗ), coming from Ancient Greek ἁγνός (hagnós, “pure, chaste”), Ancient Greek ἁγνεία (hagneía, “purity, chastity”).

Rank 2025
#1,016
among girls · ↑45 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
246
named Agnes · +5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,534
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1918
5,303 babies
All-time total
159,982
#248 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Agnes popularity over time

159,982 babies have been named Agnes since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 7,237 5 7,242 724 – #46
1890s 14,429 39 14,468 1,447 +100% #37
1900s 17,616 78 17,694 1,769 +22% #39
1910s 39,255 99 39,354 3,935 +122% #39
1920s 39,222 140 39,362 3,936 0% #54
1930s 18,032 79 18,111 1,811 -54% #102
1940s 9,518 25 9,543 954 -47% #170
1950s 5,602 – 5,602 560 -41% #286
1960s 2,714 – 2,714 271 -52% #472
1970s 913 – 913 91 -66% #966
1980s 744 – 744 74 -19% #1,362
1990s 626 – 626 63 -16% #1,862
2000s 635 – 635 64 +1% #2,279
2010s 1,638 – 1,638 164 +158% #1,103
2020s (to 2025) 1,336 – 1,336 223 +36% #1,016

Where Agnes is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 254 0.16 outside top 500
2027 262 0.16 outside top 500
2028 268 0.17 outside top 500
2029 274 0.17 outside top 500
2030 278 0.17 outside top 500

Where Agnes is most popular

Girls named Agnes per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.142 per 1,000. Strongest in North Dakota, Kansas, and Maine.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Agnes born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
North Dakota 5 0.380 +167%
Kansas 19 0.329 +132%
Maine 5 0.323 +127%
Oregon 20 0.307 +116%
Nebraska 11 0.306 +115%
Iowa 17 0.291 +105%
Minnesota 30 0.278 +95%
Ohio 53 0.223 +57%
Wisconsin 23 0.223 +57%
New York 85 0.215 +51%
Michigan 38 0.209 +47%
Indiana 27 0.192 +35%
Massachusetts 22 0.182 +28%
Virginia 31 0.182 +28%
Washington 26 0.180 +27%
Louisiana 15 0.171 +20%
Missouri 20 0.166 +17%
Pennsylvania 39 0.165 +16%
California 135 0.161 +13%
Idaho 5 0.149 +5%
Colorado 15 0.134 -6%
Kentucky 11 0.129 -10%
Texas 86 0.107 -25%
Maryland 11 0.104 -27%
Illinois 21 0.092 -36%
Florida 37 0.086 -39%
North Carolina 19 0.083 -41%
New Jersey 13 0.072 -49%
Arizona 10 0.071 -50%
Georgia 14 0.062 -57%
Tennessee 5 0.032 -78%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Agnes

Agnes is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,016 in 2025 with 246 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 159,982 American babies have been named Agnes. Its peak came in 1918, when 5,303 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Agnes stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Agnes?

The median living Agnes is about 75 years old; half are between 58 and 85. An estimated 25 thousand people named Agnes are alive in the United States today.

median 75 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Agnes year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 246 #1,016 – –
2024 235 #1,061 – –
2023 229 #1,081 – –
2022 228 #1,095 – –
2021 216 #1,138 – –
2020 182 #1,247 – –
2019 215 #1,125 – –
2018 198 #1,199 – –
2017 199 #1,208 – –
2016 233 #1,103 – –
2015 191 #1,275 – –
2014 191 #1,261 – –
2013 124 #1,689 – –
2012 123 #1,700 – –
2011 97 #2,019 – –
2010 67 #2,672 – –
2009 81 #2,375 – –
2008 61 #2,888 – –
2007 65 #2,787 – –
2006 68 #2,632 – –
2005 59 #2,788 – –
2004 57 #2,809 – –
2003 62 #2,579 – –
2002 54 #2,780 – –
2001 60 #2,540 – –
2000 68 #2,279 – –
1995 61 #2,190 – –
1990 76 #1,862 – –
1985 67 #1,710 – –
1980 77 #1,529 – –
1975 86 #1,291 – –
1970 120 #1,026 – –
1965 258 #602 – –
1960 428 #472 – –
1955 563 #369 – –
1950 748 #286 – –
1945 824 #230 – –
1940 1,190 #170 10 #2,324
1935 1,589 #138 – –
1930 2,510 #102 10 #2,610
1925 3,911 #69 14 #2,193
1920 4,907 #54 13 #2,336
1915 4,795 #45 8 #2,834
1910 2,163 #41 13 #860
1905 1,718 #43 11 #742
1900 1,914 #41 8 #970
1895 1,466 #40 – –
1890 1,095 #50 – –
1885 695 #54 – –
1880 473 #54 – –

Famous people named Agnes

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Agnes Moorehead Agnes Moorehead American actress (1900–1974) Contemporary
  2. 2 Agnes of Rome Agnes of Rome Christian virgin and saint 291–305 · Antiquity
  3. 3 Agnes Obel Agnes Obel Danish musician (born 1980) Contemporary
  4. 4 Agnes of Courtenay Agnes of Courtenay Noblewoman in Crusader Jerusalem (1136–1184) 1133–1185 · Medieval
  5. 5 Agnes Martin Agnes Martin American painter (1912–2004) Contemporary
  6. 6 Agnes Smedley Agnes Smedley American journalist and writer 1892–1950 · 19th century
  7. 7 Agnes of Austria Agnes of Austria Queen consort of Hungary 1281–1364 · Medieval
  8. 8 Agnes of Waiblingen Agnes of Waiblingen Duchess of Swabia from 1082 to 1105 1072–1143 · Medieval
  9. 9 Agnes of Bohemia Agnes of Bohemia Christian saint 1211–1282 · Medieval
  10. 10 Agnes of Antioch Agnes of Antioch 12th-century queen consort of Hungary 1153–1184 · Medieval
  11. 11 Agnes of Merania Agnes of Merania Queen of France from 1196 to 1201 1175–1201 · Medieval
  12. 12 Agnes Ayres Agnes Ayres American actress (1892–1940) 1898–1940 · 19th century
  13. 13 Agnes of France, Byzantine Empress Agnes of France, Byzantine Empress Byzantine empress from 1180 to 1185 1171–1220 · Medieval
  14. 14 Agnes Baden-Powell Agnes Baden-Powell Co-founder of the Girl Guides (1858–1945) 19th century
  15. 15 Agnes of Poitou Agnes of Poitou Holy Roman Empress from 1046 to 1056 1025–1077 · Medieval
  16. 16 Agnes of France, Duchess of Burgundy Agnes of France, Duchess of Burgundy Duchess consort of Burgundy from 1279 to 1306 1260–1327 · Medieval
  17. 17 Agnes of Burgundy, Duchess of Bourbon Agnes of Burgundy, Duchess of Bourbon Duchess consort of Bourbon 1407–1476 · Medieval
  18. 18 Agnes Bernauer Agnes Bernauer Bavarian royal mistress 1410–1435 · Medieval
  19. 19 Agnes Pockels Agnes Pockels German chemist (1862–1935) 19th century
  20. 20 Agnes Carlsson Agnes Carlsson Swedish recording artist (born 1988) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Agnes, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Agnes?

The median living Agnes is about 75 years old. Half of all living Agness are between 58 and 85 years old.

How many people named Agnes are alive today?

An estimated 25 thousand people named Agnes are alive in the United States, based on 159,982 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Agnes mean?

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἁγνή (Hagnḗ), coming from Ancient Greek ἁγνός (hagnós, “pure, chaste”), Ancient Greek ἁγνεία (hagneía, “purity, chastity”).

How popular is the name Agnes in 2025?

Agnes ranked #1,016 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 246 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Agnes?

159,982 babies have been named Agnes in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Agnes most popular?

Agnes peaked in 1918, when 5,303 newborns received the name.

Is Agnes a boy or girl name?

Agnes is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Agnes rising or falling?

Agnes is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Agnes become more popular?

Agnes is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 278 girls named Agnes in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Agnes?

Well-known people named Agnes include Agnes Moorehead (actor), Agnes of Rome (religious figure), Agnes Obel (singer).

Names like Agnes

Names that sound and feel close to Agnes: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Agnes with similar names → More names starting with A →