Vanessa
Say it: va-NESS-a/vəˈnɛsə/
GirlMeans a made-up name, with no older meaning7 letters3 syllables
#413
in Ireland (2025)
#410 with spellings combined
9
babies in 2025
#97
best rank (1993)
2,122
babies since 1965
Down 254
10-year rank change
Vanessa through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | #410 |
| 2024 | 7 | #494 |
| 2023 | 9 | #394 |
| 2022 | 12 | #338 |
| 2021 | 16 | #273 |
| 2020 | 9 | #407 |
| 2019 | 24 | #203 |
| 2018 | 18 | #255 |
| 2017 | 24 | #211 |
| 2016 | 22 | #217 |
| 2015 | 37 | #156 |
| 2014 | 38 | #154 |
| 2013 | 35 | #170 |
| 2012 | 32 | #180 |
| 2011 | 53 | #120 |
| 2010 | 53 | #126 |
| 2009 | 69 | #98 |
| 2008 | 47 | #132 |
| 2007 | 44 | #135 |
| 2006 | 20 | #220 |
| 2005 | 22 | #195 |
| 2004 | 17 | #222 |
| 2003 | 25 | #167 |
| 2002 | 32 | #138 |
| 2001 | 23 | #173 |
| 2000 | 18 | #195 |
| 1999 | 17 | #206 |
| 1998 | 19 | #179 |
| 1997 | 22 | #200 |
| 1996 | 49 | #110 |
| 1995 | 35 | #139 |
| 1994 | 48 | #112 |
| 1993 | 58 | #97 |
| 1992 | 47 | #116 |
| 1991 | 35 | #145 |
| 1990 | 58 | #110 |
| 1989 | 37 | #138 |
| 1988 | 67 | #101 |
| 1987 | 41 | #138 |
| 1986 | 45 | #134 |
| 1985 | 40 | #145 |
| 1984 | 45 | #142 |
| 1983 | 33 | #174 |
| 1982 | 45 | #147 |
| 1981 | 61 | #128 |
| 1980 | 42 | #168 |
| 1979 | 35 | #177 |
| 1978 | 60 | #124 |
| 1977 | 52 | #136 |
| 1976 | 58 | #131 |
| 1975 | 74 | #108 |
| 1974 | 60 | #128 |
| 1973 | 51 | #142 |
| 1972 | 41 | #155 |
| 1971 | 38 | #158 |
| 1970 | 24 | #189 |
| 1969 | 23 | #191 |
| 1968 | 21 | #189 |
| 1967 | 14 | #205 |
| 1966 | 7 | #276 |
| 1965 | 5 | #297 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Vanessa mean?
A made-up name, with no older meaning
English, invented by Jonathan Swift for his friend Esther Vanhomrigh.
Say it right
vaNESSa
The story of Vanessa
Vanessa has an unusually clear origin. Jonathan Swift, later Dean of St Patrick’s in Dublin, made it up in the early 1700s as a private name for his friend and pupil Esther Vanhomrigh, an Irish woman of Dutch descent. He took “Van” from the start of her surname and added “essa”, perhaps shaped by her first name, Esther. He used it in his poem Cadenus and Vanessa, and from there it slowly became a real name.
So the name has no deep meaning of its own. It is sometimes explained as “from the star”, since Esther may come from a Persian word for star, but that is a playful reading rather than what Swift intended.
Vanessa first appears in the CSO records in 1965. Its best rank was number 97 in 1993, though its busiest year for babies was 1975, with 74 girls. It is quieter now, with 9 girls in 2025.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Vanessa (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Vanessa (name)
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Nicknames
Nessa
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Vanessa | 9 | 2,122 |
In Northern Ireland
Not in the 2025 list. Best rank #163 (2012); 101 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.