Vanessa
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- va-NESS-a
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #723 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #377 for girls
Vanessa is a girls' name of English origin. In 2025 it ranked 723rd for girls in the UK (56 babies) and 377th for girls in the US (813 babies).
What does Vanessa mean?
English: literary coinage by Jonathan Swift
Coined by Jonathan Swift in his poem Cadenus and Vanessa from his friend Esther Vanhomrigh's name; it is also a butterfly genus.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Vanessa a girl's or a boy's name?
Vanessa is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 56 girls in the UK and 813 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Vanessa in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #723among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 56about 1 in 5,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 19% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 56 girls in the UK were named Vanessa, making it the 723rd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 606th. Its busiest year was 2010, with 260 girls.
2025 had the fewest girls named Vanessa since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the girls named Vanessa in the UK since 1996 were born between 2004 and 2015. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2025, 64 girls in the UK were given Vanessa or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #604, up from #723 for this spelling alone.
- Vanessa 56
- Vanesa 8
Among girls in 2025, it was 719th in England and Wales and 539th in Scotland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1974 (#68).
Vanessa in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 56 | #723 |
| 2024 | 82 | #533 |
| 2023 | 77 | #548 |
| 2022 | 73 | #583 |
| 2021 | 83 | #539 |
| 2020 | 69 | #606 |
| 2019 | 84 | #531 |
| 2018 | 114 | #427 |
| 2017 | 140 | #363 |
| 2016 | 143 | #364 |
| 2015 | 196 | #276 |
| 2014 | 193 | #276 |
| 2013 | 182 | #291 |
| 2012 | 182 | #304 |
| 2011 | 219 | #253 |
| 2010 | 260 | #223 |
| 2009 | 214 | #251 |
| 2008 | 213 | #258 |
| 2007 | 189 | #281 |
| 2006 | 156 | #316 |
| 2005 | 119 | #371 |
| 2004 | 102 | #400 |
| 2003 | 87 | #446 |
| 2002 | 74 | #471 |
| 2001 | 78 | #441 |
| 2000 | 111 | #339 |
| 1999 | 100 | #364 |
| 1998 | 141 | #295 |
| 1997 | 163 | #264 |
| 1996 | 223 | #205 |
How popular is Vanessa in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #377among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 813about 1 in 2,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 31% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 813 girls in the US were named Vanessa, making it the 377th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 209th. Its busiest year was 1985, with 7,563 girls. It first appears in the records in 1900.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 5 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Vanessa than any year since 1952.
Half of all the girls named Vanessa in the US since 1880 were born between 1979 and 2000, the years shaded on the chart below.
Vanessa in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 813 | #377 |
| 2024 | 938 | #334 |
| 2023 | 1,014 | #304 |
| 2022 | 1,026 | #311 |
| 2021 | 1,226 | #253 |
| 2020 | 1,384 | #209 |
| 2019 | 1,224 | #271 |
| 2018 | 1,378 | #231 |
| 2017 | 1,521 | #203 |
| 2016 | 1,664 | #197 |
| 2015 | 1,729 | #187 |
| 2014 | 1,927 | #171 |
| 2013 | 2,095 | #152 |
| 2012 | 2,554 | #123 |
| 2011 | 2,620 | #120 |
| 2010 | 2,888 | #107 |
| 2009 | 3,523 | #91 |
| 2008 | 4,032 | #78 |
| 2007 | 4,447 | #71 |
| 2006 | 4,169 | #79 |
| 2005 | 4,095 | #80 |
| 2004 | 4,350 | #75 |
| 2003 | 4,352 | #70 |
| 2002 | 4,455 | #68 |
| 2001 | 4,672 | #64 |
| 2000 | 5,134 | #62 |
| 1999 | 5,287 | #57 |
| 1998 | 5,830 | #52 |
| 1997 | 5,796 | #54 |
| 1996 | 5,746 | #60 |
| 1995 | 5,404 | #63 |
| 1994 | 5,552 | #59 |
| 1993 | 5,890 | #55 |
| 1992 | 6,080 | #55 |
| 1991 | 5,926 | #56 |
| 1990 | 6,409 | #56 |
| 1989 | 6,962 | #50 |
| 1988 | 7,516 | #41 |
| 1987 | 7,348 | #43 |
| 1986 | 7,469 | #43 |
| 1985 | 7,563 | #42 |
| 1984 | 7,156 | #45 |
| 1983 | 6,388 | #48 |
| 1982 | 6,154 | #49 |
| 1981 | 4,749 | #62 |
| 1980 | 4,426 | #69 |
| 1979 | 4,102 | #75 |
| 1978 | 3,853 | #76 |
| 1977 | 3,209 | #90 |
| 1976 | 2,463 | #106 |
| 1975 | 2,440 | #115 |
| 1974 | 2,353 | #122 |
| 1973 | 2,144 | #134 |
| 1972 | 2,280 | #133 |
| 1971 | 2,657 | #129 |
| 1970 | 2,576 | #138 |
| 1969 | 2,234 | #147 |
| 1968 | 1,797 | #181 |
| 1967 | 1,869 | #170 |
| 1966 | 1,643 | #197 |
| 1965 | 1,632 | #203 |
| 1964 | 2,056 | #183 |
| 1963 | 2,032 | #188 |
| 1962 | 2,244 | #175 |
| 1961 | 2,765 | #153 |
| 1960 | 2,711 | #154 |
| 1959 | 3,120 | #139 |
| 1958 | 2,744 | #148 |
| 1957 | 2,379 | #159 |
| 1956 | 2,617 | #145 |
| 1955 | 2,698 | #140 |
| 1954 | 2,643 | #142 |
| 1953 | 2,007 | #163 |
| 1952 | 695 | #303 |
| 1951 | 176 | #655 |
| 1950 | 91 | #936 |
| 1949 | 70 | #1,069 |
| 1948 | 69 | #1,056 |
| 1947 | 59 | #1,169 |
| 1946 | 14 | #2,596 |
| 1945 | 19 | #1,940 |
| 1944 | 13 | #2,510 |
| 1943 | 10 | #3,039 |
| 1942 | 16 | #2,213 |
| 1941 | 11 | #2,666 |
| 1940 | 14 | #2,202 |
| 1939 | 7 | #3,427 |
| 1938 | 15 | #2,113 |
| 1937 | 17 | #1,914 |
| 1936 | 20 | #1,691 |
| 1935 | 32 | #1,264 |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 7 | #3,405 |
| 1932 | 9 | #3,045 |
| 1931 | 7 | #3,495 |
| 1930 | 10 | #2,844 |
| 1929 | 5 | #4,568 |
| 1928 | 6 | #4,193 |
| 1927 | 5 | #4,803 |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 9 | #3,361 |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 9 | #3,349 |
| 1922 | 6 | #4,443 |
| 1921 | 5 | #5,097 |
| 1920 | 6 | #4,396 |
| 1919 | 6 | #4,249 |
| 1918 | 0 | – |
| 1917 | 6 | #4,081 |
| 1916 | 8 | #3,256 |
| 1915 | 10 | #2,687 |
| 1914 | 0 | – |
| 1913 | 5 | #3,185 |
| 1912 | 0 | – |
| 1911 | 0 | – |
| 1910 | 0 | – |
| 1909 | 0 | – |
| 1908 | 0 | – |
| 1907 | 0 | – |
| 1906 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 0 | – |
| 1904 | 0 | – |
| 1903 | 0 | – |
| 1902 | 0 | – |
| 1901 | 0 | – |
| 1900 | 6 | #1,722 |
Nicknames for Vanessa
Names like Vanessa
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Jessica Francesca Victoria Fatima Joanna Athena Maria Melissa Alana Alexandra Tabitha Sara
Other spellings of Vanessa
Names related to Vanessa
More English names
Lily Evelyn Hudson Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hallie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Vanessa: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/vanessa, updated 20 October 2026.