Aggie

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Aggie

Gender: Feminine
Language: English
Etymology:
Aggie is an English diminutive for the names Agatha, and Agnes.

Agatha comes from a Greek name meaning “Good Woman.”
-and-
Agnes is the English form of a Greek name, Hagne. It originally meant “Chaste,” “Sacred,” or “Pure.” It is also associated with the Latin word “agnus” (lamb).

History:
Aggie is an English diminutive name, dating from the 19th century. The name Agnes (the name of a popular saint) was common in the Middle Ages, but in England the “g” was often nasalized out and the name was often pronounced Ah-niss. Agnes, along with other saintly names, declined in Britain after the Reformation, although Agnes remained in use among the poor and/or rustic.

When Agnes was revived in the early 19th century, it was given its full due in pronunciation and the nickname Aggie was born.

(while Aggie is also found as a nickname for Agatha, the name Agatha has never been common among English speakers)

In the United States, Aggie was most common during the latter half of the 19th century, a time when “ie” nicknames were trendy for girls (Betty, Callie, Daisy, Essie, Jennie, Jessie, Mamie, Minnie, etc.). By the early 20th century the name Agnes was in decline and the nickname Aggie all but disappeared. The “ag” sound is, after all, present in a wide variety of unpleasant words, including “sag,” “lag,” “drag,” and “hag.”

Pronunciation: agg-ee.

Alternates: Aggy, Aggey.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
less than 0.001 % named Aggie

Popularity of Aggie:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1850: 352nd most popular.
1875: 250th most popular.
1880: 943rd most popular.
1881: 831st most popular.
1882: N/A
1883: 817th most popular.
1884: 731st most popular.
1885: 745th most popular.
1886: 993rd most popular.
1887: 790th most popular.
1888: N/A
1889: 951st most popular.
1890: 825th most popular.
1891: 895th most popular.
1892-1895: N/A
1896: 950th most popular.
1897-1899: N/A
1900: 706th most popular.
1901: N/A
1902: 927th most popular.
1903: N/A
1904: 880th most popular.
1905-1907: N/A
1908: 938th most popular.
1909: 845th most popular.
1900-2004: N/A

Selected Sources:
The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, Withycombe, 1977, 3rd ed.
The Penguin Dictionary of First Names, Pickering, 1999
The Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names, Mcleod and Freedman, 1995

The Social Security Administration Actuarial Note 139 (www.ssa.gov) - For popularity stats 1880-Present
The 1880 U.S. Census- For popularity stats 1850-1880, and other information (it is available on-line at www.familysearch.org)