Innis as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Innis

What is the meaning of the name Innis ?

The baby name Innis is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced IN-iss (IPA: /ˈɪnɪs/).

Innis is Gaelic in Origin.

Innis is a Scottish and Irish given name and surname, pronounced IN-iss, from the Gaelic inis/innis, “island” or “river meadow.” It began as a place‑name, most famously Innes in Moray, whose name reflects fertile land beside water; from there it became the surname of Clan Innes and later a transferred given name. The element appears widely in toponyms across Gaelic-speaking regions, reinforcing the pastoral, watery imagery in the name’s meaning.

Usage as a first name grew in the 19th and 20th centuries with the fashion for surnames as forenames, and it now reads as a trim, gender‑neutral choice, especially in Scotland, Ireland, and the Scottish‑Irish diaspora in Canada and the United States. Common variants include Innes (Scotland) and Ennis (Ireland); the Gaelic form is Inis. Note that Ines/Inez, though similar in look, derives from Agnes and is etymologically unrelated.