Poster for The Contrabandista; Image via Wikipedia
She sounds like a South America import, but this simple choice boasts a long history of use in the US.
Thanks to Stephanie and Kelleita for suggesting Inez as Baby Name of the Day.
With Isabella at the top of the popularity charts, it is no surprise to meet girls with no Latino heritage wearing the name.
But we might not expect a Spanish name to catch on in the nineteenth century, a time we perceive as more buttoned-down.
Inez proves us wrong.
Zena Eve says
September 13, 2017 at 2:35 AMThis article is half gone. 🙁
Ali says
December 28, 2013 at 9:04 PMOne of my great-grandmas was also named Inez (with the Z at the end). She was from Spain and was a twin. Her twin sister was named Catalina. They had another sister named Pilar. My great-grandmother Inez died very young, at the age of 33. My grandmother was 13 yrs-old when her mom Inez died and spoke of her often. Although I don’t think I’d ever use it, I do think this name is rich in heritage and I love that it’s not so common. I do, however, prefer the Ines (with the ‘S’) spelling.
roxanne says
January 9, 2011 at 11:35 AMInez was my mom’s middle name and I’m considering using it as a middle name for my daughter.
appellationmountain says
January 10, 2011 at 6:34 AMThat’s a lovely way to honor your mom. You often hear parents say “Well, Ann is my middle name so we passed it down.” I understand that, but it is more interesting when the middle name is unusual. I mean … everyone’s middle name is Ann!
Annie says
November 16, 2010 at 8:30 AMMy daughter’s middle name is Inez. She is named for my mum, Agnes, who died before my daughter was born. She hated her name and when she was ill made me promise not to call any daughters Agnes. I wish sometimes I had gone for Inez (eeNEZ) as a first name, but I love my daughter’s first name too so she wins either way.
appellationmountain says
November 17, 2010 at 6:01 AMAnnie, I had the same issue – my mother hates her actual name and forbid me to pass it down. But I still managed to name my daughter after her.
I think Inez for Agnes is a great compromise, and naming our daughters in honor of our mothers always feels very appropriate.
liz says
November 16, 2010 at 12:58 AMI like Ines — it does strike me as similar to Agnes, especially when both are spelled & pronounced more like their original languages…
How about Hazel for a name of the day?
appellationmountain says
November 17, 2010 at 6:04 AMHazel was one of the first names that I ever covered – you can read the post here.
There’s a Hazel in my daughter’s classroom, and an older Hazel – 5 or 6, maybe? – in our neighborhood, too. It’s a great name!
liz says
November 18, 2010 at 11:02 PMMy gram was born in 1922 named Hazel Lorene, but went by Lorene, which seemed cooler at the time I guess.
Lady Gwyn says
November 16, 2010 at 12:54 AMInez (spelled this way) was my Great-Great Grandma. She was an old lady when I was born, and was very ill. She lived long enough to hold me (my mom has pictures), and then she died. I’ve heard this story from my mom for years. My mom even has Grandma “Iney” (as she was called) china. I would use Inez as a middle name because of this. I don’t know if I could like it as a first name, but I will use it in the middle someday for sure. I do like the Ines spelling better. Thanks for doing this as a Name of the Day.
appellationmountain says
November 16, 2010 at 7:48 AMWhat a lovely story, Gwyn!
Elizabeth says
November 15, 2010 at 5:41 PMInez was the name of one of my great-great-grandmas.
Bridget says
November 15, 2010 at 11:11 PMI also like this name, but spelled Ines, and I don’t really like the ‘eye NEZ’ pronunciation. The ‘s’ spelling seems softer.
It came to my attention a few years ago as a possible name for a new baby girl – and not an ‘old lady’ – when it was bestowed upon a princess in the Netherlands in 2007 as one of her middle names. Ever since then I’ve thought it to be a very lovely name
appellationmountain says
November 15, 2010 at 11:48 PMOooh … there it is: Ariane Wilhelmina M
Rita says
November 15, 2010 at 3:34 PMIn
appellationmountain says
November 15, 2010 at 7:34 PMRita, you’re absolutely right and thanks for the clarification. I err on the side of using the spelling you’d be most likely to see used in American English, which is not always correct in the native language. Since we don’t use diacritical marks – at least, the Social Security Administration doesn’t record them – I don’t normally use them here. That’s true whether the name is Raven-Symon
julie says
November 15, 2010 at 2:09 PMMy parents have a friend named Inez who’s probably be in her early 80’s. She pronounces her name EE-ness, (sort of like Agnes, but more like part of a male’s anatomy.) Since I have a 12 year-old’s sense of humor, I always found her name really funny.
Anyways, when it’s pronounced eh-NEZ or ee-NEZ, it’s quite pretty and an excellent multicultural choice. Lovely.
Sarah A says
November 15, 2010 at 1:59 PMI don’t know why, but I don’t really like Inez. She doesn’t have the strength of Ingrid or the beauty of Paloma. My apologies to any young women with this name, but it sounds too old and dated for me. Also, it makes me think someone is saying Arnaz like Desi Arnaz. That said, I’d love to hear it over Ava!