[name_f]Agatha[/name_f] vs. [name_f]Agnes[/name_f]: Which is better and why?
hmmm… this is a tough one. Both are good strong names.
I can picture [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] on a child more, but I think i like [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] a little better, because when I think about [name_f]Agnes[/name_f], all I can think about is Despicable Me, meaning [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] will rise in popularity faster. [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] has a lot of great history, with [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] [name_u]Christie[/name_u].
You can get more nicknames out of [name_f]Agatha[/name_f], aside from [name_f]Aggie[/name_f]:
Gaitha, [name_f]Thea[/name_f], [name_f]Gasha[/name_f], [name_f]Gaia[/name_f], [name_f]Gita[/name_f], and you could use [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] as a nickname. (these are all I could think of)
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f] nn:
[name_f]Aggie[/name_f], [name_f]Nessie[/name_f], [name_f]Nesta[/name_f], [name_f]Anne[/name_f]/[name_f]Annie[/name_f] (theres probably more)
Basically, my vote is for [name_f]Agatha[/name_f]. I hope this helped some.
I much prefer [name_f]Agnes[/name_f]. She seems crisp and lively. I love the idea of [name_f]Nessie[/name_f] as a nickname. [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] is stale in comparison.
I like them both… [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] is more down to earth, while [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] is more “out there”.
I prefer [name_f]Agnes[/name_f], actually, because I just love its nicknames ([name_f]Nessie[/name_f] or [name_f]Nessa[/name_f] or maybe even [name_f]Ag[/name_f] if she grows to be more tomboyish). Also, [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] reminds me of [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] Trunchbull (in [name_m]Roald[/name_m] Dahl’s [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]) so… not my favourite name.
I much prefer [name_f]Agnes[/name_f], the despicable me character made me love this name even more, I can’t get myself to like [name_f]Agatha[/name_f], something about the first 2 syllables feel off to me.
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f] sounds elegant and cute at the same time, [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] is just okay.
I prefer [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] (especially pronounced the [name_m]French[/name_m] way), but [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] is not bad either.
I think I prefer [name_f]Agatha[/name_f]. I keep going to say “[name_m]Angus[/name_m]” when I try to say [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] out loud 
I think it’s because I have known a fair few Anguses but no Agneses, so my tongue just automatically trips me up.
Both are lovely, though!
I really like both actually. [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] is one of my favorites, but [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] is great too.
I’ve never thought [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] to be an attractive name, probably because to my ears it sounds a bit harsh… and because my first experience with someone with this name was negative, not only was it the name of the headmistress/villain in the book [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] by [name_m]Roald[/name_m] Dahl, I had a teacher with this name in kindergarten who treated me differently than the other children, because I was a foreigner. Other than that, despite the meaning and my passion for many Greek names, [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] seems to me, lacking of the charm and elegance that [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] has… I may be somewhat biased as [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] was my favorite name growing up, I named all my [name_f]Barbie[/name_f] dolls either [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] or [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f].
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]. I think it will come back before [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] if [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] comes back at all. [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] was once one of the most popular feminine names in the English-speaking world. It has that distinction, and it’s also similar to [name_f]Alice[/name_f], [name_f]Frances[/name_f]/[name_u]Francis[/name_u], and [name_u]August[/name_u], all fairly recent revivals.
I have to agree with @jem, [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] is too much like [name_m]Angus[/name_m] to me. Doesn’t mean I dislike it but I slightly prefer [name_f]Agatha[/name_f].
I would usually pick the one that ends with A, but in this case I much prefer [name_f]Agnes[/name_f]. There’s something vaguely cute and almost wise about that -nes ending, and like pps I like that it has the option of nn [name_f]Nessa[/name_f]. I also agree with [name_f]Emily[/name_f]'s assessment that it’s more likely to make a comeback than [name_f]Agatha[/name_f].
I agree with @geeknamezyo and others: I choose [name_f]Agnes[/name_f], as I love the nn [name_f]Nessa[/name_f]. [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] seems more sophisticated to me.
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f] has a nerdy sound to me. [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] is more classic. I think the trend is toward [name_f]Agnes[/name_f], though. So it might seem less ‘out there’ in a few years.
[name_f]Agatha[/name_f] definitely. [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] [name_u]Christie[/name_u] is the best! I can just picture the slip dresses and [name_m]Art[/name_m] Deco and [name_m]Art[/name_m] Nouveau architecture. For a nn I would probably use [name_f]Maggie[/name_f]. (why not? if [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] can be [name_f]Nell[/name_f] and [name_m]Edward[/name_m] can be [name_m]Ned[/name_m])
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f] - For some reason I cannot get past the consonants GN right next to each other. It seems so ugly. However, I do like variations that omit the G - [name_f]Anessa[/name_f] or [name_f]Anezka[/name_f].
I like [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] much more. I find it much more ‘sleek’ and usable. I know they are both generally seen as being old fashioned and clunky but I find [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] to be much more so. Plus whenever I hear [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] I think of [name_m]Roald[/name_m] Dahl’s [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] and Miss Trunchbull!
These two names are on my long list for girls. They have been universally vetoed, even though I really love [name_f]Agnes[/name_f]. I think it’s so cute and it conjures up such a sweet image with me. I also love [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] and even though it’s seen as being so dowdy, I kind of see it on some spunky, twenty-something literary agent in [name_u]Brooklyn[/name_u], haha. I actually conjured up this whole image of a girl/woman to convince my fiance into getting onboard with [name_f]Agatha[/name_f], but he wasn’t having it.
I don’t know if I could say which is better or why, but I always lean towards [name_f]Agnes[/name_f].
I like [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] much better than [name_f]Agnes[/name_f]. I think I like the “atha” sound as it sounds like a breath of fresh air, happier, and easy to please. [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] gives me images of a frumpy old lady who is negative, never happy and hard to be around! 