Inis
A feminine name of Irish origin meaning "island" or "river meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 82 living Americans carry the first name Inis. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Inis today is around 84 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Inis births was 1920 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Inis. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Inis is about 84 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Inis' were born before 1952.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Inis. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
82
~ 1 in 4,179,931 Americans
Peak year
1920
32 babies that year
Average age
84
years old
1956 SSA rank
#5,545
Tracked since 1891
Census
Inis in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 242 people with the first name Inis, which placed it at #33,953 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#33,953
National first-name rank
People counted
242
242 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
76.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Inis
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Inis is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Hispanic (10.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Inis described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Inis at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.0% · 184
- Black or African American11.6% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino10.3% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 4
- Two or more races0.4% · 1
Popularity
Inis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Inis from the 1890s through to the 1950s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 213 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Inis by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Inis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Inis' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas recorded the most babies named Inis, while Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Inis
The name Inis is believed to have originated from the Irish language, derived from the word "inish," which means "island" or "water meadow." This name is closely associated with the rich cultural heritage of Ireland and has been in use for centuries.
In ancient Irish mythology, there are several references to islands and places with names that incorporate the word "inis." For instance, Inis Fallon, also known as the Island of the Pillar Stones, is mentioned in the ancient Irish text "The Metrical Dindshenchas." This suggests that the name Inis has deep roots in Irish folklore and tradition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Inis can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The entry from the year 1171 mentions an individual named Inis Ua Maoil Mhuaidh, who was a prominent figure in the Kingdom of Connacht during that time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Inis. Inis Ní Chuilleanáin, born in 1945, is a renowned Irish poet and academic who has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious Griffin Poetry Prize in 2010. Her work explores themes of identity, memory, and the Irish experience.
Another prominent figure is Inis L. Claude Jr., an American lawyer and civil rights activist born in 1924. He played a crucial role in the desegregation of public schools in the United States and was instrumental in the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
In the realm of sports, Inis Stanković, a Serbian basketball player born in 1985, has made a name for himself on the international stage. He has represented his country in numerous tournaments and is considered one of the best shooting guards in European basketball.
Inis Bigović, born in 1950, is a Bosnian actress who has appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her career. She is celebrated for her versatile performances and has received several awards for her contributions to Bosnian cinema.
Lastly, Inis Buchanan, an American writer and journalist born in 1940, is known for her non-fiction works that explore various social and cultural issues. Her book "The Quotable Woman" has been widely acclaimed for celebrating the voices and wisdom of women throughout history.
People
Inis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Inis as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Inis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Inis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 82 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Inis going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 4,179,931 US residents.
Is Inis a common name?
We classify Inis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 691 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Inis most popular?
The single biggest year for Inis was 1920, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Inis is about 84 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Inis in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 242 people with the name Inis, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,953 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Inis in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Inis?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Inis leans strongly female. 220 people counted with this name were female (92.8%), compared with 17 male bearers (7.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Inis?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Inis is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Hispanic (10.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Inis most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Inis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.0% (184 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Inis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Inis a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Inis in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Inis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Inis in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Inis can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Inis?
Find out how many Americans are named Inis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.