Nessa

Origin: English literary coinage — Variant of Vanessa · Jonathan Swift's pet name for Esther Vanhomrigh: 'Van' of her surname plus 'Essa,' from Esther, possibly 'star'

Girl's name · #2744 in the US (2025) · Trending

Popularity over time

Nessa is moving up the charts. First recorded in 1935, it stood at #2744 in 2025; about 1,400 girls have been named Nessa along the way.

See where Nessa is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 3 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

See how Nessa ranks in other countries and regions.

#243 in Ireland (2025) · #489 in N. Ireland (2025) · #1,726 in France (2025) · #1,787 in England & Wales (2025) · #1,519 in Canada (2024).

Among 22 notable people named Nessa:

Entertainers appear 2.93× more often than among typical names — e.g. Nessa Barrett, American singer.

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