AGNES.  Latin form of Greek Hagnès, from ἅγνος, meaning "chaste, sacred, pure."  Or perhaps more correctly, "lamb" (see note below).  Usage: America, England, France (Agnès), Italy, Sweden.

    AGNES, AGNETA, NESSA, INEZ, etc.  Ageno = chaste is, according to one theory, the origin of the name Agnes; but the generally received opinion is in this case probably the right one:  the name is most likely derived from agnus, the Latin for lamb.  The Greek adjective ἅγνος, meaning sacred or pure, was the origin of the Latin word, and the lamb stands allegorically for the triumph of innocence. (Girls' Christian Names, Swan, 1905)