UK girl's name
Agnes
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "pure" or "chaste".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Agnes is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Agnes popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #474, with 86 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 140 births.
This profile covers 1,811 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 61% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 2,100 living people in the UK are called Agnes. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Agnes ranked #474 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 86 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 140 girls were registered as Agnes.
- • Agnes ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #353 in 2016.
- • About 2,100 living people in the UK are estimated to have Agnes as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#474
2024
Births in 2024
86
Latest year
Peak year
2015
140 births
Estimated living
2,100
2026
Meaning
What does Agnes mean?
The name Agnes is derived from the Greek word "hagnos" meaning "pure" or "sacred". It has its roots in ancient Greece, where it was used to refer to virtuous or chaste women.
Agnes became a popular name among early Christians, particularly in Rome. It is believed that the name gained widespread recognition after the martyrdom of St. Agnes, a young Roman girl who was executed for her Christian faith in the early 4th century.
The name Agnes first appeared in written records during the 4th century AD, when it was mentioned in the ancient Roman martyrologies. These early Christian texts recounted the life and martyrdom of St. Agnes, who is revered as a patron saint of young girls and virgins.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Agnes was Agnes of Rome, a Roman virgin and martyr who lived in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries. She is celebrated as a saint in the Catholic Church and is commemorated on January 21st.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Agnes became increasingly popular across Europe, particularly in regions with strong Christian traditions. Notable individuals with the name include Agnes of Poitiers (1025-1077), a French noblewoman and regent of the Duchy of Aquitaine, and Agnes of Merania (c. 1180-1201), a Queen consort of France.
During the Renaissance period, the name Agnes continued to be widely used. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Agnes Sorel (1422-1450), a French courtier and the chief mistress of King Charles VII of France.
In the 17th century, Agnes Sampson (c. 1590-1591) was a Scottish woman accused of witchcraft and executed during the North Berwick Witch Trials. Meanwhile, in the 18th century, Agnes Strickland (1796-1874) was an English historical writer and a prominent author of biographies of medieval queens.
The name Agnes has had a lasting legacy, transcending cultural and geographical boundaries. It has been used across various cultures, from European nations to regions as far as Asia and Africa, reflecting its enduring popularity as a name associated with purity and virtue.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Agnes over time
The chart below shows babies named Agnes registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Agnes, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 86 births in 2024, compared with 140 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Agnes by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Agnes was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #459 | 464 | 5 |
| 2010s | #491 | 959 | 10 |
| 2000s | #919 | 314 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1200 | 74 | 4 |
Geography
Where Agnes is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Agnes. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Agnes ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #353 in 2016.
Across the UK
Agnes in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#476 in 2024
28 years of NRS records, 300 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#353 in 2016
1 years of NISRA records, 4 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Agnes
-
Agnes Yewande Savage
teacher; physician; academic
Scottish-Nigerian physician
1906-1964
-
Agnes Morrison
writer; biographer
Scottish writer (1903-1986)
1903-1986
-
Agnes Dillon
bookseller
Dillon, Agnes Joseph Madeline [Una] (1903–1993), bookseller
1903-1993
-
Agnes Mary Field
film director; director; film producer
British film producer and director (1896-1968)
1896-1968
-
Agnes Hardie
politician
Hardie [married name Hughes], Agnes Paterson [Nan] (1885–1947), socialist and political activist
1885-1947
-
Agnes de Selincourt
missionary; college head
British college Principal (1872-1917)
1872-1917
-
Agnes of Glasgow
Scottish woman
1760-1780
-
Agnes Wheeler
writer
Wheeler [née Cowherd], Agnes [Ann] (bap. 1734, d. 1804), writer on dialect
1734-1804
Related
Names similar to Agnes
- Amelia 94,830
- Ava 54,556
- Amy 52,495
- Alice 46,815
- Abigail 45,658
- Amber 31,922
- Anna 27,802
- Alexandra 19,455
- Amelie 18,051
- Abbie 15,971
- Aimee 15,158
- Annabelle 15,120
FAQ
Agnes: questions and answers
How popular is the name Agnes in the UK right now?
In 2024, Agnes was ranked #474 for girls in England and Wales, with 86 births registered.
When was Agnes most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 140 babies registered as Agnes in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Agnes?
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "pure" or "chaste".
How many people are called Agnes in the UK?
A total of 1,811 babies have been registered as Agnes across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 300 more in Scotland and 4 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Agnes most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Agnes ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #353 in 2016. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.