Vanessa is a feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...

. It was invented by the Anglo-Irish writer

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet, and Anglican cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dubl ...

for

Esther Vanhomrigh Esther Vanhomrigh or Van Homrigh (known by the pseudonym Vanessa; c. 1688 – 2 June 1723), an Irish woman of Dutch descent, was a longtime lover and correspondent of Jonathan Swift. Swift's letters to her were published after her death. Her ...

, whom Swift had met in 1708 and whom he tutored. The name was created by taking " Van" from Vanhomrigh's last name and adding "Essa", a

pet form A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for ...

Esther Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...

. In 1726, the name Vanessa appeared in print for the first time in '' Cadenus and Vanessa'', an autobiographical poem about Swift's relationship with Vanhomrigh. Swift had written the poem in 1713, but it was not published until three years after Vanhomrigh died. ''Vanessa'' was adopted as the name of a genus of butterfly by

Johan Christian Fabricius Johan Christian Fabricius (7 January 1745 – 3 March 1808) was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others. He was a student of Carl Linnaeus, and is co ...

in 1807. Vanessa was the 71st most popular name for girls born in the United States in 2007. It has been among the top 200 names for girls in the United States since 1953 and among the top 100 names for girls since 1977. It first appeared among the top 1,000 names for girls in the United States in 1950, when it appeared on the list in 939th place. In Germany, Vanessa has been among the top 100 names for girls since 1976. The name became more and more popular and was the 7th most popular name for girls in the 1990s. In the following years its popularity dropped and the name is ranked in 42nd place for the decade 2000–2009.

Notable people with the given name

* Vanessa Ament (born 1955), American foley artist and author *

Vanessa Amorosi Vanessa Joy AmorosiSharon Verghis"Back on track" ''The Sun-Herald'', 18 October 2009, Archived fro''the original''on 6 March 2016. (born 8 August 1981) is an Australian singer-songwriter and recording artist. Her combined album and single sales ...

(born 1981), Australian singer * Vanessa Anderson, Australian teen whose death led to the Garling Report *

Vanessa Angel (English actress) Vanessa Madeline Angel (born 10 November 1966) is an English actress and former model. She played the role of Lisa on the television series '' Weird Science''. She is also known for her role as Claudia in the film '' Kingpin''. Early life Ang ...

(born 1966), English actress and model * Vanessa Angel (Indonesian actress) (1992–2021), Indonesian actress, model and singer *

Vanessa Baden Vanessa Jennifer Baden-Kelly (; born September 8, 1985) is an American actress, writer, director, and producer. She is best known as a child actress in the Nickelodeon television series '' Gullah Gullah Island'' (1994–1998) and ''Kenan & Kel'' ...

(born 1985), American actress, writer, director, and producer * Vanessa Barrs, Australian veterinary scientist *

Vanessa Bayer Vanessa Bayer (born November 14, 1981) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for being a cast member on '' Saturday Night Live'' from 2010 to 2017, which earned her an Emmy nomination. She co-created, co-executive produces, and ...

(born 1981), American actress, comedian and cast member from ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'' *

Vanessa Beecroft Vanessa Beecroft (born April 25, 1969) is an Italian-born American contemporary performance artist; she also works with photography, video art, sculpture, and painting. Many of her works have made use of professional models, sometimes in large nu ...

, Italian artist *

Vanessa Bell Vanessa Bell (née Stephen; 30 May 1879 – 7 April 1961) was an English painter and interior designer, a member of the Bloomsbury Group and the sister of Virginia Woolf (née Stephen). Early life and education Vanessa Stephen was the eld ...

(1879–1961), English artist and the sister of author Virginia Woolf *

Vanessa Bell Armstrong Vanessa Bell Armstrong ( Bell; born October 2, 1953) is an American gospel singer who released her debut album '' Peace Be Still'' in 1983. Armstrong is an 7x Grammy Award Nominee, Stellar Award Winner, and a Soul Train Award winner. She has wo ...

(born 1953), American gospel singer *

Vanessa Bell Calloway Vanessa Bell Calloway ( Bell; born March 20, 1957) is an American actress. Beginning her career as a dancer, Bell Calloway became known for her film roles as Princess Imani Izzi in the 1988 comedy ''Coming to America'', as well as for her roles ...

(born 1957), American actress * Vanessa Benelli Mosell, Italian pianist *

Vanessa Branch Vanessa Lynn Branch (born March 21, 1973) is an English-born American actress and model. She is best known in the United States as the Orbit Gum girl for its series of television commercials (her catchphrase is "Fabulous!"). Early life Bran ...

(born 1973), English-American model and actress * Vanessa L. Brown (born 1966), Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives who was convicted of bribery * Vanessa Bryant (born 1982), American philanthropist, nonprofit executive, and former model *

Vanessa Carlton Vanessa Lee Carlton (born August 16, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Upon completion of her education at the School of American Ballet, Carlton chose to pursue singing instead, performing in New York City bars and clubs while ...

(born 1980), American singer, best known for her hit single "A Thousand Miles" * Vanessa Coleman (born 1988), American criminal convicted of facilitating the kidnap, rape, and murder of Channon Christian * Vanessa da Mata (born 1976), Brazilian singer * Vanessa Djomo (born 1998), Cameroonian footballer *

Vanessa Downing Vanessa Downing (born 5 May 1958) is an Australian actress and singer, voice artist and lawyer Downing was appearing with singing group ''The Madrigals'', an acapella group who were performing at the Sydney Opera House, when she was given ...

(born 1958), Australian actress * Vanessa Duriès (1972–1993), French writer * Vanessa Erogbogbo, Ugandan economist *

Vanessa Feltz Vanessa Jane Feltz is an English television personality, broadcaster, and journalist. She has appeared on various television shows, including ''Vanessa'' (1994–1998), ''The Big Breakfast'' (1996–1998), ''The Vanessa Show'' (1999), ''Celebr ...

, English journalist and broadcaster *

Vanessa Ferlito Vanessa Ferlito is an American actress. She is known for playing Detective Aiden Burn in the first season of the CBS crime drama ''CSI: NY'', as well as for her recurring portrayal of Claudia Hernandez in FOX drama '' 24'', and for her starri ...

, American actress *

Vanessa Ferrari Vanessa Ferrari (born 10 November 1990) is an Italian artistic gymnast. She was the 2006 World All-Around Champion and competed for Italy at the 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal on floor exercise in 2020. In doi ...

(born 1990), Italian gymnast *

Vanessa García Vanessa García Vega (born July 18, 1984 in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) is an Olympic and National Record holding freestyle swimmer from Puerto Rico. She swam for her native country at the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympics. García's silv ...

(born 1984), Puerto Rican freestyle swimmer *

Vanessa George Vanessa may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Vanessa'' (Millais painting), an 1868 painting by Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais * ''Vanessa'', a 1933 novel by Hugh Walpole * ''Vanessa'', a 1952 instrumental song written by Bernie ...

, English paedophile convicted in the 2009 Plymouth child abuse case * Vanessa Giacomo, Brazilian actress *

Vanessa Grigoriadis Vanessa Maia Grigoriadis is an American journalist. Her work has been featured in ''The New York Times'', '' Vanity Fair'', and ''Rolling Stone'' among other publications. Background Grigoriadis is of Greek descent and grew up in New York City. Whe ...

, American journalist * Vanessa Heleta, women's rights activist and Special Olympics organiser from Tonga *

Vanessa Herrmann Vanessa Phuang Herrmann ( th, วัลเณซ่า พวง แฮร์มันน์ เมืองโคตร; ), nicknamed Na-Chatra ( th, ณฉัตร; ) or Van ( th, วัล; , born July 17, 1991) is a Thai-German actress, model ...

(born 1991), Thai actress and model *

Vanessa Hessler Vanessa Hessler (born January 21, 1988) is an Italian-American model and actress. A model since she was 15, Hessler has appeared in many publications throughout Italy, Germany and France. Early life Daughter of an Italian mother and an American ...

, American-Italian model and actress *

Vanessa Hudgens Vanessa Anne Hudgens (; born December 14, 1988) is an American actress and singer. After making her feature film debut in '' Thirteen'' (2003), Hudgens rose to fame portraying Gabriella Montez in the ''High School Musical'' film series (2006 ...

(born 1988), American actress and singer * Vanessa Huppenkothen, Mexican model, actress, and presenter *

Vanessa King Vanessa King (born September 19, 1980) is a Canadian actress from Coquitlam, British Columbia, known for her role as Anika in the television series '' Edgemont'', a role for which she was nominated in the category Best Performance in a Children's ...

, Canadian actress *

Vanessa Kirby Vanessa Nuala Kirby (born 18 April 1988) is an English actress. She has received several accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. Born in London to urologist Roger Kirb ...

, British actress * Vanessa Krasniqi (born 1994), Albanian-German singer * Vanessa Koutouan (born 1988), Ivorian women's rights activist *

Vanessa Lachey Vanessa Joy Lachey (née Minnillo; born November 9, 1980) is an American actress, beauty pageant titleholder, fashion model, and television host. She was named Miss Teen USA in 1998. She has been a New York–based correspondent for ''Entertain ...

(born 1980), American television personality, television host, and actress *

Vanessa Lengies Vanessa Lengies (born July 21, 1985) is a Canadian actress, dancer and singer. She is known for starring in the drama ''American Dreams'' as Roxanne Bojarski. She appeared as Charge Nurse Kelly Epson on the TNT medical drama '' HawthoRNe'', and ...

(born 1985), Canadian actress * Vanessa de Lisle, British fashion journalist * Vanessa Lloyd-Davies (1960–2005), British doctor, equestrian and soldier *

Vanessa Mae Vanessa-Mae (陈美 Chén Měi; born 27 October 1978) also called Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson, is a Singaporean-born British violinist with album sales reaching several million, having made her the wealthiest entertainer under 30 in the Uni ...

(born 1978), Singapore-born British violinist and Olympic alpine skier *

Vanessa Mai Vanessa Marija Else Ferber (' Mandekić, born 2 May 1992), known professionally as Vanessa Mai, is a German singer. She was first known as a member of Schlager band Wolkenfrei and later began working as a solo artist following the band's spli ...

(born 1992), German singer *

Vanessa Marano Vanessa Nicole Marano (born October 31, 1992) is an American actress. She has starred in television movies and had recurring roles in such series as ''Without a Trace'', ''Gilmore Girls'', ''Ghost Whisperer'', '' Scoundrels'', ''Grey's Anatomy'' ...

(born 1992), American actress *

Vanessa Marcil Vanessa Marcil ( ;) is an American actress. She is best known for her television roles as Brenda Barrett on ''General Hospital'', Gina Kincaid on ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', and Sam Marquez on ''Las Vegas''. Early life Marcil, the youngest of fo ...

(born 1958), American actress * Vanessa Marcotte (1989–2016), American murder victim * Vanessa Marques (born 1996), Portuguese football player *

Vanessa Marquez Vanessa Rosalia Marquez (December 21, 1968 – August 30, 2018) was an American actress. She was primarily known for her recurring role in the first three seasons of '' ER'' as nurse Wendy Goldman, as well as her role as Ana Delgado in the 1988 b ...

(1968–2018), American actress *

Vanessa Marshall Vanessa Marshall (born October 19, 1969 in Los Angeles, California, U.S.) is an American voice and television actress who is most active in films, cartoons and video games. She is the daughter of actress Joan Van Ark and reporter John Marshall. ...

(born 1969), American actress and voice actress *

Vanessa Mdee Vanessa Hau Mdee (born 7 June 1988), is a Tanzanian singer, rapper, television personality and radio host. Mdee is popularly known for being the first ever Tanzanian MTV VJ. She later rose to prominence as a radio and TV host, hosting ''Epic Bon ...

(born 1988), Tanzanian singer and TV personality * Vanessa Merrell (born 1996), American actress (temporary role in ''Jane the Virgin'') and YouTuber *

Vanessa Morgan Vanessa Morgan Mziray (born March 23, 1992), known professionally as Vanessa Morgan, is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Beatrix "Bird" Castro in the MTV teen drama series ''Finding Carter'', as Amanda Pierce in the Family teen ...

(born 1992), Canadian actress *

Vanessa Paradis Vanessa Chantal Paradis (; born 22 December 1972) is a French singer, model, and actress. Paradis became a child star at the age of 14 with the international success of her single "Joe le taxi" (1987). At age 18, she was awarded France's hig ...

(born 1972), French actress and singer *

Vanessa Porto Vanessa Alessandra Teixeira Porto (born March 16, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and amateur boxer who competes in the Bellator MMA flyweight division. Background Porto grew up in Jaú, São Paulo in a family of soccer players. S ...

(born 1984), Brazilian mixed martial artist *

Vanessa Ray Vanessa Ray Liptak (born June 24, 1981) is an American actress. She is known for her role on ''Pretty Little Liars'' as Charlotte Drake; and also for her roles as Jenny on the legal drama series '' Suits'', Teri Ciccone on the soap opera ''As t ...

(born 1981), American actress *

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, tw ...

(born 1937), English actress and political activist *

Vanessa Rousso Vanessa Ashley Rousso (born February 5, 1983) is a French-American attorney and professional poker player, DJ, and television personality. Born in White Plains, New York, Rousso holds dual citizenship with the United States and France. Rousso ...

(born 1983), American poker player *

Vanessa C. Tyson Vanessa Catherine Tyson is an American political scientist and politician. She is an associate professor of politics at Scripps College and a political science fellow at Stanford University. Tyson was an unsuccessful candidate for California's 5 ...

, American political scientist * Vanessa Uri, birth name of Filipina actress

Halina Perez Halina Perez (December 11, 1981 – March 4, 2004) was a Filipina actress. Life and career Perez was born Vanessa Mae Ann Uri in Santa Maria, Laguna. She graduated from the Sta. Maria Academy School in Sta. Maria, Laguna and enrolled at the Enve ...

(1983–2004) * Vanessa Ward (née ''Browne'') (born 1963), Australian high jumper *

Vanessa Watts Vanessa Nakeita Watts (born 12 August 1987) is a Jamaican cricketer who plays as a right-arm off break bowler. In 2014, she appeared in one One Day International and four Twenty20 Internationals for the West Indies. She plays domestic cricket ...

(born 1987), West Indian cricketer *

Vanessa White Vanessa Karen White (born 30 October 1989) is an English singer who rose to fame in 2008 as a singer in the girl band The Saturdays. She is signed to "Salute the Sun" as a solo artist. White began her career as a theatre actress at an early age, ...

(born 1989), English singer with The Saturdays *

Vanessa Estelle Williams Vanessa Estelle Williams (sometimes professionally credited as Vanessa A. Williams) is an American actress and producer. She is best known for her roles as Maxine Joseph–Chadway in the Showtime drama series, ''Soul Food'' (2000–04), for wh ...

(sometimes professionally Vanessa A. Williams) (born 1963), American actress *

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She resign ...

(sometimes professionally Vanessa L. Williams) (born 1963), American model, singer, songwriter, and actress *

Vanessa R. Williams Vanessa Renee Williams, (born November 28, 1960, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is an American gospel music singer. After working as a public school art teacher for many years, she signed with Light Records and Bajada Records. Her debut album ' ...

(born 1960), American gospel singer * Vanessa Zahorian, American ballet dancer

Fictional characters

* Vanessa (''King of Fighters''), a character in SNK Playmore's ''The King of Fighters'' video game series * Vanessa (''The Little Mermaid''), a character in Disney's 1989 animated film ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...

'', the name of the human form taken by the villain Ursula to seduce Prince Eric * Vanessa Diodati, a character in the anime series ''Symphogear'' * Vanessa Abrams, a character in the CW television series ''Gossip Girl'' * Vanessa Chamberlain Lewis, a character from CBS' longest-running soap opera, ''Guiding Light'' * Vanessa Doofenshmirtz, Dr. Doofensmirtz's daughter in the animated television series ''Phineas and Ferb'' *

Vanessa Fisk Vanessa Fisk ( née Marianna) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is married to the crime boss the Kingpin (Wilson Fisk) and is the mother of Richard Fisk, although she herself is not portra ...

, wife of mobster Wilson Fisk, Kingpin of Crime in the Marvel Comic Universe *

Vanessa Gold Vanessa may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Vanessa'' (Millais painting), an 1868 painting by Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais * ''Vanessa'', a 1933 novel by Hugh Walpole * ''Vanessa'', a 1952 instrumental song written by Bernie W ...

, a character from the British soap opera, ''EastEnders'' *

Vanessa Huxtable ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from 1984 until 1992. The show focuses on the Huxtable family, an upper middle-class African-American family living in Brooklyn, New Yo ...

, a character in the American television sitcom ''The Cosby Show'' *

Vanessa Ives Vanessa Ives is a fictional character on Showtime's ''Penny Dreadful'', created by John Logan and portrayed by Eva Green. Ives is the main protagonist of the story and is introduced as a mysterious and powerful medium. She is later revealed to ...

, a character of tremendous power and importance in ''Penny Dreadful'' * Vanessa "Nessa" Jenkins, from the British comedy series ''Gavin & Stacey'' * Vanessa "Nessie" Kapatelis, supporting character in the Wonder Woman comic book series * Vanessa Kensington, British secret agent from the 1997 film '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' *

Vanessa Lewis The following is a list of characters from the ''Virtua Fighter'' fighting game series released by Sega. Starting with ''Virtua Fighter'', this series has spanned five games (not including updates) and has been released on arcade systems as well as ...

, a character in the ''Virtua Fighter'' video game series *

Vanessa Villante Vanessa Villante is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'', played by Alin Sumarwata. The actress's casting was announced on 5 December 2011, though she began filming the week before. Sumarwata and her family relocate ...

, a character from the Australian soap opera, ''Neighbours'' *

Vanessa Woodfield ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared during 2012, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Steve ...

, a character from the British soap opera, ''Emmerdale'' * Vanessa "Ness" Carlysle, supporting character from ''Deadpool'' * Vanessa, a character from the animated series ''

The Hollow ''The Hollow'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the United States by Dodd, Mead & Co. in 1946 and in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club in November of the same year. The US edition ...

'' * Vanessa, a character in the 1989 Disney film ''

'' * Vanessa Van Helsing, the titular main character of the television series ''

Van Helsing A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across ...

'' * Vanessa Hysel, a character and minor antagonist in the 2018 Square Enix game '' Octopath Traveler'' * Vanessa, the protagonist of the mobile rhythm game '' Cytus'' and central character in the sequel ''Cytus II'' * Vanessa, the security guard in the 2021 game '' Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach''

References

External links

* {{given name English feminine given names English given names invented by fiction writers Feminine given names Italian feminine given names German feminine given names