Explore the Family Name Agnes
The meaning of Agnes
1. English; French (Agnès); Hungarian (Ágnes): from a female personal name, which is from Late Latin Agnes and this one from Greek Hagnē, from hagnē ‘pure, chaste’. Saint Agnes was a Christian virgin martyr, one of those who suffered under the persecutions of Diocletian in 303 AD. Her name was associated by folk etymology with Latin agnus ‘lamb’, and in medieval art she is often depicted with a lamb (the lamb of God). See also English Annis. 2. American shortened (and altered) form of rare Greek metronymics Agnidis or Agniadis, both derived from the female personal name Hagnē (see 1 above), or of patronymics like Anagnostopoulos (compare Agnew 4).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Agnes in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Agnes has seen a minor decrease between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, it ranked 29,359 and by 2010, its rank had fallen slightly to 30,889, revealing a change of -5.21%. Similarly, the count of individuals with this surname fell marginally from 759 in 2000 to 753 in 2010. This equates to a proportion per 100,000 people dropping from 0.28 to 0.26 over the ten-year period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #29,359 | #30,889 | -5.21% |
| Count | 759 | 753 | -0.79% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.28 | 0.26 | -7.14% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Agnes
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Agnes also varied according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, the largest percentage of the surname was found within the White demographic at 76.42%, but it saw a decrease to 68.39% by 2010. The Asian/Pacific Islander representation grew considerably from 8.04% in 2000 to 13.41% in 2010. Meanwhile, those identifying as Black increased from 7.25% to 10.09%, and Hispanic representation also rose from 1.98% to 3.59%. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category experienced a slight increase from 2.90% to 3.05%. However, those identifying with two or more races saw a decline from 3.43% to 1.46% over the ten-year span.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 76.42% | 68.39% | -10.51% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 8.04% | 13.41% | 66.79% |
| Black | 7.25% | 10.09% | 39.17% |
| Hispanic | 1.98% | 3.59% | 81.31% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 2.9% | 3.05% | 5.17% |
| Two or More Races | 3.43% | 1.46% | -57.43% |