Inis

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Inis

Pronounced IN-iss /ˈɪn.ɪs/Medium

Meaning: Inis is a trim vintage name usually explained one of two ways: as a form of the Scottish name and surname Innes, from the Gaelic inis, 'island', or as a clipped variant of Agnes, from the Greek hagne, 'pure' or 'holy'. Records are too thin to settle which parent a given family had in mind.Low

In 30 seconds: Inis is a spare vintage name, read either as a form of Innes (Gaelic 'island') or a short variant of Agnes ('pure'). It stayed very rare (said 'IN-iss').

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Origin LowScottish, Greek

MeaningInis is a trim vintage name usually explained one of two ways: as a form of the Scottish name and surname Innes, from the Gaelic inis, 'island', or as a clipped variant of Agnes, from the Greek hagne, 'pure' or 'holy'. Records are too thin to settle which parent a given family had in mind.

U.S. rank (1956)#5545 ↗ Rising

1956 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1920

Total births (all-time)≈ 691

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Inis is a short vintage name with two plausible roots. One traces it to Innes, a Scottish surname and given name from the Gaelic inis, 'island'; the other treats it as a pared-down form of Agnes, from the Greek hagne, 'pure' or 'holy'. Both readings were current when the name saw its small early-1900s use.

Inis was never a common choice - no more than a few dozen girls a year at its faint peak around 1920. It reads as a genuine turn-of-the-century rarity, and it has not been revived; a woman named Inis today would almost certainly belong to that early cohort.

Did you know? The Gaelic word inis, 'island', hides inside many place names of Scotland and Ireland, from Inishmore to Innerleithen - the same root that some families heard in the name Inis.

Overall data confidence 45%

References - Inis / Innes — Vintage name; Innes (Gaelic 'island') or short Agnes; parent uncertain

Variations

InnesInezInesInis

Nicknames

IniNis

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Inis…

Inez— a Spanish cousin of Agnes with the same soft sound

Agnes— a possible root name meaning 'pure'

Enid— another short vintage name of Celtic feel

Phillis— a fellow Greek choice

Phylis— echoes that soft -is sound

Explore names like Inis

By themeuncertain rare vintage

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Inis mean?

Inis is a rare vintage name, read either as a form of Innes, from a Gaelic word for 'island', or as a short variant of Agnes.

How do you pronounce Inis?

It's said IN-iss /ˈɪn.ɪs/ - two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Inis a boy or girl name?

Inis is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Inis?

Inis has always been very rare, a quiet early-twentieth-century name that never spread widely.