Inês
PopularA girl's name meaning pure, chaste.
Approved in Portugal. Inês is on the official IRN list of names you can register. Was in the national top 20 of 2023/24.
Origin
Portuguese form of Agnes, from Greek Hagne, derived from hagnos (pure, chaste); it was also associated, by sound, with Latin agnus (lamb).
Story
The name spread through Christian Europe via Saint Agnes, a young Roman martyr of the 3rd or 4th century, whose association with the lamb (agnus) made her a frequent figure in art. In Portugal the name is strongly tied to the historical figure Inês de Castro (c. 1325-1355), a lady-in-waiting whose relationship with the future king Pedro I and tragic execution in Coimbra, ordered by Afonso IV, became one of the most notable episodes in Portuguese history and literature.
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Get startedSources & references
- List of admitted given names · IRN · irn.justica.gov.pt (approved-name list & birth statistics)
- Behind the Name · Ines
- Behind the Name · Agnes
- Wikipédia (PT) · Inês de Castro