Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Agnes? (Nn Nancy?)

62 replies

Izzyathome · 09/03/2017 07:13

I recently met a really adorable blonde curly two year old girl called Agnes and it has really turned me on to the name. It's my grandma's name so it would have a nice meaning for us. She was always known as Nancy and we already have Nancy on our list - but suddenly the full name of Agnes feels fresher.

Do you think Agnes is nice on its own? Would you have Agnes nn. Nancy? Or just Nancy? Or neither?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
iloveuihateu · 15/03/2017 18:04

I love the name Nancy. But I can't use it for a child as it's my cat's name (full pedigree name is Nancy Fancypants 😬🐱).

wigglybeezer · 15/03/2017 17:57

Nanise is quite nice, maybe you could revive it. I would have called a wee girl Agnes (after DH's Granny) but I only had boys...

wigglybeezer · 15/03/2017 17:55

Netta is a nickname for Janet not Agnes.

AberdeenAngusina · 15/03/2017 17:45

Both the Nancys I know have Agnes on their birth certificate.

Kazzawazza69 · 15/03/2017 17:37

Agnes is an old lady name to me and really not to my taste. Nancy is lovely. Never knew that Nancy was a nun for Agnes!

HebeBadb · 15/03/2017 17:33

I love nancy but Agnes in English is rotten.

MrsGB2225 · 15/03/2017 17:33

Never thought of it before, but I love it!

Jooni · 15/03/2017 17:31

Horatio v interesting-thanks!

OP, Netta seems a bit forced from Agnes to me, but as pps have said a nickname can basically be anything you like really so why not? Have to say though, if it were me I'd just use Agnes in full or maybe Ness, which I think is lovely.

HoratioNightboy · 15/03/2017 12:59

Late to the thread, I know, but I wanted to give a bit of history to the Nancy/Agnes connection.

As florascotia pointed out, Agnes was usually pronouced Annis in some parts of Scotland, and a variant, Nanise, grew out of that (not been in use since the 18th century). From Nanise came the short forms Nan, Nannie and Nanss, all of which were used as given names in their own right, and Nanss eventually developed into the pet form Nansie. The spelling later morphed into Nancy, which was in use in England as a pet form of Anne.

I think using the name Senga to mean a chav girl is just a West Coast thing, like Ned. I know a couple of Sengas and they are both lovely! One is really an Agnes, the other is her actual name. The chav thing never occurs to anyone I know.

There is a theory that Senga originally comes from the Gaelic word seang meaning slim, and it's just co-incidence that it's also Agnes backwards. Not sure I believe it though!

FrancisCrawford · 14/03/2017 07:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SoulAccount · 14/03/2017 07:44

Nancy is a great name, and I love Agnes, too.

Nancy so IS a nn for Agnes, and not just in Scotland. Nns are not official so you can shorten or adapt as you like. Nancy is fab, but later she could choose Ness, Nessa, etc. I knew an Ags and it really suited her!

I wouldn't have anything to do with the spelling with a 'y' in it: to me that looks like some sort of bad attempt at phoneticising the French pronunciation.

But Nancy is great as a stand alone name.

dotdotdotmustdash · 14/03/2017 07:07

I'd say Nessie is the Edinburgh/East Coast nn for Agnes, with Nancy/Nan being a nn for Anne.

As an Edinburgh person, I've never met a Nessie (does she really exist?). I've known a few Nancys but only met a Senga when I lived near Glasgow.

FrancisCrawford · 14/03/2017 05:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Izzyathome · 14/03/2017 04:08

(Quite like Agyness thanks dotdot, but think if we're commiting to Agnes anyway we would just stick to the traditional spelling.)

OP posts:
Original poster
Izzyathome · 14/03/2017 04:06

Me again - slightly prefer Agnes at the moment, even if not to everyone's taste. It also goes slightly better with our surname. So.. although it doesn't need a nick name, what about Netta? Does that make sense?(Trying to steer away front Aggie!)

OP posts:
dotdotdotmustdash · 11/03/2017 23:24

Scot here. As far as I know, Nancy is the East Coast/Edinburgh nn for Agnes, and Senga is more from the West coast/Glasgow area.

I'm from the East, and I know several Nancys who have Agnes on their BC.

What about Agyness (from the model/actress Agyness Deyn)?

Mumzypopz · 11/03/2017 20:51

Sorry really don't like the name Agnes. Nancy is ok though.

Kittykatmacbill · 11/03/2017 19:33

Agnes is lovely and I really wanted it, dh didn't like it - boo hiss. There was one in dd1 nursery class and always felt faintly jealous. It's my grans name, but her nn was always nan.

Dd2 has another dispicable me though... (not any relatives name.)

Buntysoven · 11/03/2017 00:49

I have a Nancy so obviously love it. DH already calls her Nance but not Nan as that's his mum! Agnes is very cool but a bit of a grumpy name to me.

Original poster
Izzyathome · 10/03/2017 22:04

Thanks for all the feedback! Agnes is still growing on me. Worried about this Senga slang name though. Never heard of it (all our Scottish rellies are too old for slang I think😄).

Any Scottish people - is this a thing? Would the name Agnes make you think of the slang word Senga? Would it put you off??

Wouldn't want to inadvertartly name my daughter Scally😄😄

OP posts:
blueskyinmarch · 10/03/2017 22:03

My DM is named Agnes but has been known as Nancy all her life. She says it has always been a nn for Agnes. Fwiw she HATES the name Agnes but loves Nancy (as do I). Why not just call your DD Nancy?

Cami12 · 10/03/2017 21:59

I'd love to meet a two year old Agnes! Very cute / vintage / cool. Go for it.

mum2be2boys · 10/03/2017 21:12

I prefer the name Nancy.

I'm not sure how Nancy is a nn for Agnes, but my grandmother was Olive known as Jo which I don't get either so maybe it's a grandparents generation thing?!

SoberSusan · 09/03/2017 18:21

My grandma was Agnes known as Nancy too. Love both names!

ClaryIsTheBest · 09/03/2017 18:19

is slang for a girl from disadvantaged housing location/family background.

oops. I take it back... :o