Vanessa
A girls’ name of Modern American origin, meaning butterfly; invented by author James Barrie.
Babies a year
1,508
the US, 2017
Rarity
Uncommon
among names in use
US popularity
#377
down from #335
UK popularity
#719
51 babies · down from #533
How Vanessa has moved
View as table
| Year | US rank |
|---|---|
| 2015 | #187 |
| 2016 | #197 |
| 2017 | #204 |
| 2018 | #231 |
| 2019 | #271 |
| 2020 | #209 |
| 2021 | #253 |
| 2022 | #311 |
| 2023 | #304 |
| 2024 | #335 |
| 2025 | #377 |
In 2025, 51 babies in England and Wales were named Vanessa. In the US, 1,508 were, though that figure is from 2017 — the most recent full year we hold. Its US peak was 7,566 in 1985.
Looking further back: between 1880 and 2008, Vanessa was most common in 1985, when it went to 0.41% of American babies of that sex.
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