Annis as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Annis

What is the meaning of the name Annis ?

The baby name Annis is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈænɪs/ (AN-nis).

Annis is English in Origin.

Annis is a medieval English and Scots feminine given name, a vernacular form of Agnes, from Greek Hagnē ‘pure, chaste’. It entered English through Latin Agnes and Old French variations (Agnès, Anes), yielding Middle English spellings Anys, Annys, and Annis. The surname Annis sometimes derives from the given name.

Common in 13th-16th-century records across England and Lowland Scotland, Annis later waned as standard Agnes and Anne/Ann rose, but it persisted regionally and saw modest 19th-century antiquarian revival. Variant spellings and cognates include Annys, Annice/Anice, Anise/Anis, Agnes, and the Iberian Inés/Inez; diminutives overlap with Agnes forms such as Aggie, Ness/Nessie, and Nannie/Nanny in older Scots and English usage. Today Annis feels vintage and distinctive while preserving the time-honored sense of “purity” associated with its Greek root.