Vanessa

Origin: English literary coinage — From Jonathan Swift's poem Cadenus and Vanessa (1726) — the poet's pet name for his friend Esther Vanhomrigh: 'Van' of her surname plus 'Essa,' from Esther, possibly 'star'

Nicknames: Nessa

Girl's name · #377 in the US (2025) · 80s wave

Popularity over time

Vanessa reached #41 in 1988 and has faded to #377 since. In just three years its births jumped from about 180 in 1951 to 2,600 in 1954. The rise coincided with the early years of Love of Life, whose central heroine was Vanessa Dale.

Across the states

See where Vanessa is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 40 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Vanessa ranks in other countries and regions.

#59 in Mexico (2024) · #153 in Poland (2025) · #154 in Sweden (2025) · #157 in Austria (2025) · #187 in Norway (2025) · #441 in Ireland (2025) · #478 in Switzerland (2025) · #628 in Scotland (2025) · #688 in Netherlands (2025) · #730 in England & Wales (2025) · #730 in Ecuador (2025) · #1,017 in Belgium (2025) and 2 more.

Famous Vanessas

Vanessa Hudgens — American actress and singer (born 1988)
Vanessa Paradis — French singer, model and actress
Vanessa Redgrave — British actress and activist (born 1937)
Vanessa Kirby — British actress (born 1987)
Vanessa Williams — American actress, singer and former Miss America (born 1963)

In stories & tradition

Vanessa Fisk — The Amazing Spider-Man (comics)
Vanessa Abrams — Gossip Girl (novel series)
Vanessa Ives — Penny Dreadful (TV series)

What Vanessas become

Among 1,827 notable people named Vanessa:

Medical professionals appear 1.67× more often than among typical names — e.g. Vanessa Kerry, American doctor.

Twin names

A popular twin pairing with Vanessa is Valeria for a girl.

Spellings & nicknames

About 57 girls a year are given Nessa as their full name.

Similar names: Nessa · Kendra · Valerie · Janessa · Paige · Alyssa

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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