Given name & surname
Innis
“from the island”
Innis is used as a given name and a surname. One Scottish interpretation is “from the island.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Scottish interpretation is “from the island.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Scottish.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1919. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Innis through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 48
- 43 boys · 5 girls
- Most popular year
- 2001
- 14 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #12,743 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 12,743 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 14 in 2001. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 154 as a first name in 2020; 1,874 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Innis’s family of names
Innis has a related form in Ines. Innis has a related form in Inis. Innis has a related form in Inis.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Innis
- Innis P. SwiftUnited States Army general (1882-1953)
- Innis GreenAmerican congressman for Pennsylvania1776–1839
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Innis, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Angus
“one force; one strength; one choice”
>99% boys
Kinnon
“one who is fair-born”
>99% boys
Tavish
“a twin” · “from the hillside”
>99% boys
Kendrew
“a warrior”
>99% boys
Brice
“one who is alert; ambitious” · “one who is speckled”
97% boys · 3% girls
Tay
“from the river”
90% boys · 10% girls
Adair
“from the oak-tree ford” · “a wealthy spearman”
67% boys · 33% girls
Connery
“a daring man”
>99% boys