Vanessa
Vanessa is a literary name invented by Irish writer Jonathan Swift in 1726 for his poem 'Cadenus and Vanessa.' The name was created by combining the first syllables of his close friend Esther Vanhomrigh's name, and it has since become associated with a genus of butterfly, giving it a graceful, natural quality.
Current Popularity
Popularity over time
Dashed bar: 2026 (projected): 764. How this is calculated
Yearly values
- 2011: 2,620
- 2012: 2,554
- 2013: 2,095
- 2014: 1,927
- 2015: 1,729
- 2016: 1,664
- 2017: 1,521
- 2018: 1,378
- 2019: 1,224
- 2020: 1,384
- 2021: 1,226
- 2022: 1,026
- 2023: 1,014
- 2024: 938
- 2025: 813
- 2026 (projected): 764
Good to Know
- •Easy to spell and pronounce in most languages
- •Has a built-in nature connection through the butterfly genus
- •Literary origin gives it intellectual appeal
- •Maintains elegance while offering casual nickname options
- •Multiple spelling variations exist
Similar Names
Famous People
Vanessa Williams
Singer and actress
Vanessa Redgrave
British actress
Vanessa Hudgens
Actress and singer
Vanessa Kirby
Actress
Statistics
261,622
Total births since 1880
1985
Peak year
Discovery
Keep browsing
Rising now
Browse trending names
Names that climbed the most between 2020 and 2025.
Always popular
Explore timeless classics
Names that have sat in the top 50 for decades.
For this gender
See all-time favorites
The most common names since 1880, by total births.
Stories
Read famous-name profiles
How well-known people changed the names they carried.
Guides
Browse recent articles
Recent articles on naming trends.