Vanessa

Did you know?

A few things about Vanessa you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Vanessa

Vanessa Hudgens

American actress and singer (born 1988)

Choose Vanessa and your child shares a first name with Vanessa Hudgens, an American actress and singer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Vanessa, like who?” Vanessa Hudgens's Wikipedia article is available in 85 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Vanessa Hudgens on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Presidential Communications Office, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 1,977 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Vanessa, 813 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Vanessa would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryVanessa first shows up in US birth records in 1900, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 125 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1988, when it ranked #41. Today it's #377, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowVanessa was 5.6× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 354 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 1,977.
• 🍂TrendVanessa has slipped 168 places over the last five years and now sits at #377. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedVanessa is most popular in Hawaii, where it ranks #168, followed by Nevada (#214) and Florida (#259). It's in the top 1,000 in 35 states.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Vanessa means “invented by Jonathan Swift”.

About the name Vanessa

Vanessa is a girl name of English origin meaning “invented by Jonathan Swift”. It has 7 letters and 3 syllables, starting with V and ending in “-ssa”. US birth records list Vanessa for girls from 1900 to 2025, in 109 of those 126 years. Its best year was 1988, when it ranked #41 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #377, with 813 babies.

Origin:English names