Vanessa is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Vanessa means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Vanessa across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Vanessa has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Vanessa is a girl name of English origin meaning “a literary invention”. coined by Jonathan Swift in the 18th century.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 262,606 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 3,668 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 650 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 101 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 2,122 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 3,941 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Vanessa per year, United States (1900 to 2025). United States peaked in 1985 (7,605/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2010 (228/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1975 (74/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1995 (28/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2012 (12/yr).
Vanessa has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 1985, when it ranked #94 nationally (given to 7,658 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1980s.
Venessa · Vanesa · Vannessa · Vannesa · Vanassa · Vanessia · Vaness · Venezia
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