Agnus is a Latin word meaning "lamb," symbolizing innocence, purity, and sacrifice.
The term originates from Latin, where it is derived from the Proto-Italic agʷnos, which in turn comes from the Proto-Indo-European root h₂egʷnós, also meaning "lamb". Cognates exist in Ancient Greek (ἀμνός, amnós), Old Church Slavonic (агнѧ, agnę), and Old English (ēanian, yean), reflecting its deep Indo-European roots. In English, "Agnus" is often encountered as a shortened form of Agnus Dei, meaning "Lamb of God," a phrase central to Christian liturgy.
In Christian theology, the lamb symbolizes innocence, gentleness, and sacrificial purity, often associated with Jesus Christ as the sacrificial lamb. The name carries connotations of spiritual purity and devotion, and it has been historically used in religious contexts, particularly in medieval and ecclesiastical Latin.
Jay Miner (the chief architect of the Amiga's custom chipset) was known to be a spiritual person. He deliberately chose "Agnus" not just because it fit the acronym Address Generator UNitS, but because he liked the deeper symbolic meaning. In interviews, he mentioned enjoying the playful feminine naming convention while also appreciating the classical and religious resonance. The Amiga team mixed technical practicality with a bit of whimsy and personality — which is why the chips feel so "human" compared to the cold, numbered chips in most other computers of the era.
Agnus is the "heart" of the Amiga — the chip that makes everything work smoothly. Yet she's also the one that fails most often (especially the early versions got hot and died). Many people spent hours carefully desoldering and replacing Agnus... almost like a little ritual. Some even called it "sacrificing" the old Agnus to bring the machine back to life.
The engineers (led by Jay Miner, the "father of the Amiga") wanted to talk about the chips freely in the office or over the phone without competitors or outsiders knowing what they were discussing. Naming them after women made conversations sound like they were just talking about girlfriends or wives. ("How’s Paula doing?" "Agnus is being difficult today.")
He personally designed the Agnus chip himself and supervised the others. The early prototypes were massive breadboards with hundreds of chips each — it took years of refinement to shrink them into the final custom chips. Jay was known for his humanistic approach to engineering. He wanted computers to feel alive and creative, not just cold business tools. He even had his dog Mitchy's paw print molded into the casing of the Amiga 1000 alongside the designers' signatures — a sweet, personal touch.