Agnes comes from the Greek hagnos and means "pure" or "chaste"; by association with the Latin agnus, lamb, the saint is usually shown with a lamb. Saint Agnes, a Roman martyr of the early 4th century, made the name one of the most popular in medieval Europe, and in America it is remembered through actress Agnes Moorehead. Agnes has stayed between number 1000 and 1300 in the United States for a decade and reached number 1016 in 2025, its best rank since 2000.