Vanessa

#377 for girls in 2025, 813 births · Last seen for boys in 2014 at #12,108
Given to girls 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1988 · 7,516 births
Debut · girls
6 births
In top 100 · girls
33 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
261,622
since 1900

Vanessa over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201962peak #41, 1988girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#377813—
2024#334938—
2023#3041,014—
2022#3111,026—
2021#2531,226—
2020#2091,384—
2019#2711,224—
2018#2311,378—
2017#2031,521—
2016#1971,664—
2015#1871,729—
2014#1711,927#12,1085
2013#1522,095#9,6557
2012#1232,554—
2011#1202,620#10,8086
2010#1072,888#10,7666
2009#913,523—
2008#784,032#11,0376
2007#714,447#8,9158
2006#794,169#10,6626
2005#804,095#8,2998
2004#754,350#7,5369
2003#704,352#9,5816
2002#684,455#10,6675
2001#644,672#7,5368
2000#625,134#5,58812
1999#575,287#6,04210
1998#525,830#4,87313
1997#545,796#3,45520
1996#605,746#3,83017
1995#635,404#3,85416
1994#595,552#3,59618
1993#555,890#2,45530
1992#556,080#2,41230
1991#565,926#2,46928
1990#566,409#2,21432
1989#506,962#1,53753
1988#417,516#1,18972
1987#437,348#1,53446
1986#437,469#1,51144
1985#427,563#1,54442
1984#457,156#1,45843
1983#486,388#1,19058
1982#496,154#1,27853
1981#624,749#2,13824
1980#694,426#2,36721
1979#754,102#2,66917
1978#763,853#3,21512
1977#903,209#2,79115
1976#1062,463#3,47110
1975#1152,440#2,75114
1974#1222,353#3,5589
1973#1342,144#3,22310
1972#1332,280#3,3449
1971#1292,657#3,14610
1970#1382,576#4,7245
1969#1472,234#3,9356
1968#1811,797#4,1365
1967#1701,869#3,5596
1966#1971,643#2,9868
1965#2031,632#3,5376
1964#1832,056#3,0508
1963#1882,032—
1962#1752,244#3,3057
1961#1532,765#2,9009
1960#1542,711#3,0778
1959#1393,120#2,20014
1958#1482,744#2,64210
1957#1592,379#3,0248
1956#1452,617—
1955#1402,698#3,2017
1954#1422,643#2,7439
1953#1632,007—
1952#303695—
1951#656176—
1950#93791—
1949#1,07070—
1948#1,05769—
1947#1,17059—
1946#2,59714—
1945#1,94119—
1944#2,51113—
1943#3,04010—
1942#2,21416—
1941#2,66811—
1940#2,20314—
1939#3,4297—
1938#2,11315—
1937#1,91417—
1936#1,69120—
1935#1,26432—
1934——
1933#3,4067—
1932#3,0479—
1931#3,4977—
1930#2,84510—
1929#4,5705—
1928#4,1956—
1927#4,8055—
1926——
1925#3,3629—
1924——
1923#3,3509—
1922#4,4456—
1921#5,0995—
1920#4,3986—
1919#4,2516—
1918——
1917#4,0836—
1916#3,2588—
1915#2,68810—
1914——
1913#3,1875—
1912——
1911——
1910——
1909——
1908——
1907——
1906——
1905——
1904——
1903——
1902——
1901——
1900#1,7236—
1899——
1898——
1897——
1896——
1895——
1894——
1893——
1892——
1891——
1890——
1889——
1888——
1887——
1886——
1885——
1884——
1883——
1882——
1881——
1880——
First appearance
1900

The first year at least five girls were named Vanessa! It came in at #1,723, and was given to 6 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1901–1914, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.

Where Vanessa is popular in 1962

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Vanessa, so not publishedAKMaine: #254 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 1,653 girlsMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Vanessa, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 girls named Vanessa, so not publishedNHWashington: #289 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 1,734 girlsWAIdaho: fewer than 5 girls named Vanessa, so not publishedIDMontana: fewer than 5 girls named Vanessa, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: #202 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 1,032 girlsNDMinnesota: #368 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 3,445 girlsMNIllinois: #158 for girls · 136 births · 1 in 756 girlsILWisconsin: #279 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 2,490 girlsWIMichigan: #238 for girls · 56 births · 1 in 1,466 girlsMINew York: #192 for girls · 163 births · 1 in 1,002 girlsNYMassachusetts: #286 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 2,568 girlsMARhode Island: fewer than 5 girls named Vanessa, so not publishedRIOregon: #394 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 3,080 girlsORNevada: #158 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 548 girlsNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Vanessa, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: #254 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 1,341 girlsSDIowa: #459 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 5,471 girlsIAIndiana: #163 for girls · 63 births · 1 in 768 girlsINOhio: #188 for girls · 100 births · 1 in 985 girlsOHPennsylvania: #193 for girls · 97 births · 1 in 1,076 girlsPANew Jersey: #190 for girls · 56 births · 1 in 1,019 girlsNJConnecticut: #174 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 986 girlsCTCalifornia: #259 for girls · 120 births · 1 in 1,446 girlsCAUtah: fewer than 5 girls named Vanessa, so not publishedUTColorado: #290 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 1,598 girlsCONebraska: #344 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 2,867 girlsNEMissouri: #189 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 1,039 girlsMOKentucky: #141 for girls · 45 births · 1 in 685 girlsKYWest Virginia: #149 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 672 girlsWVVirginia: #105 for girls · 95 births · 1 in 424 girlsVAMaryland: #120 for girls · 62 births · 1 in 472 girlsMDDelaware: #74 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 243 girlsDEArizona: #296 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 1,543 girlsAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 girls named Vanessa, so not publishedNMKansas: #258 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 1,526 girlsKSArkansas: #113 for girls · 35 births · 1 in 504 girlsARTennessee: #96 for girls · 85 births · 1 in 419 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #109 for girls · 99 births · 1 in 482 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #99 for girls · 61 births · 1 in 416 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #137 for girls · 22 births · 1 in 594 girlsDCOklahoma: #168 for girls · 28 births · 1 in 736 girlsOKLouisiana: #90 for girls · 112 births · 1 in 340 girlsLAMississippi: #106 for girls · 59 births · 1 in 419 girlsMSAlabama: #82 for girls · 107 births · 1 in 312 girlsALGeorgia: #98 for girls · 105 births · 1 in 416 girlsGAHawaii: #91 for girls · 19 births · 1 in 335 girlsHITexas: #141 for girls · 184 births · 1 in 601 girlsTXFlorida: #154 for girls · 72 births · 1 in 683 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Delaware#74 · 1 in 243
  2. Alabama#82 · 1 in 312
  3. Louisiana#90 · 1 in 340
  4. Hawaii#91 · 1 in 335
  5. Tennessee#96 · 1 in 419

Best ever in a state: #7 in New Mexico, 1985.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Delaware#74181 in 243
Alabama#821071 in 312
Louisiana#901121 in 340
Hawaii#91191 in 335
Tennessee#96851 in 419
Georgia#981051 in 416
South Carolina#99611 in 416
Virginia#105951 in 424
Mississippi#106591 in 419
North Carolina#109991 in 482
Arkansas#113351 in 504
Maryland#120621 in 472
District of Columbia#137221 in 594
Kentucky#141451 in 685
Texas#1411841 in 601
West Virginia#149241 in 672
Florida#154721 in 683
Illinois#1581361 in 756
Nevada#15851 in 548
Indiana#163631 in 768
Oklahoma#168281 in 736
Connecticut#174241 in 986
Ohio#1881001 in 985
Missouri#189411 in 1,039
New Jersey#190561 in 1,019
New York#1921631 in 1,002
Pennsylvania#193971 in 1,076
North Dakota#20261 in 1,032
Michigan#238561 in 1,466
Maine#25461 in 1,653
South Dakota#25451 in 1,341
Kansas#258131 in 1,526
California#2591201 in 1,446
Wisconsin#279171 in 2,490
Massachusetts#286201 in 2,568
Washington#289161 in 1,734
Colorado#290121 in 1,598
Arizona#296101 in 1,543
Nebraska#34451 in 2,867
Minnesota#368111 in 3,445
Oregon#39451 in 3,080
Iowa#45951 in 5,471
Alaska———
Idaho———
Montana———
New Hampshire———
New Mexico———
Rhode Island———
Utah———
Vermont———
Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Vanessa
Momentum · girls
Falling
  • 43 spots since 2024 (#334 → #377)
  • 168 spots since 2020 (#209 → #377)
  • 190 spots since 2015 (#187 → #377)
  • Biggest jump: 353 spots in 1952 (#656 → #303)
  • Biggest drop: 58 spots in 2022 (#253 → #311)
Rise & fade · girls
88 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1900
  • Peaked 1988 at #41 (7,516 births)
  • Births halved by 2009, 21 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 33 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 33 yrs · run 1977–2009
  • Top 1,000: 76 yrs · run 1950–2025
Share of babies · girls
1 in 228
  • Highest: 1 in 228 girls born in 1985 were named Vanessa (0.44%)
  • Latest: 1 in 1,977 girls born in 2025 (0.05%)
  • Its best rank, #41 in 1988, was only 1 in 237 (0.42%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1980s
  • 25.1% of all girls named Vanessa (65,731) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1900s6#1,723 (1900)#1,723
1910s35#2,688 (1915)#3,493
1920s51#3,350 (1923)#4,278
1930s124#1,264 (1935)#2,578
1940s295#1,057 (1948)#2,047
1950s19,170#139 (1959)#293
1960s20,983#147 (1969)#175
1970s28,077#75 (1979)#112
1980s65,731#41 (1988)#49
1990s57,920#52 (1998)#57
2000s43,229#62 (2000)#74
2010s19,600#107 (2010)#176
2020s6,401#209 (2020)#298

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Vanessa in 1962

girls
#175
2,244 births · 1 in 876 girls
boys
#3,305
7 births · 1 in 295,539 boys

Top girls' names in 1962

  1. #1Lisa46,069
  2. #2Mary43,502
  3. #3Susan35,752
  4. #4Karen35,184
  5. #5Linda31,461
  6. #6Patricia26,532
  7. #7Donna25,719
  8. #8Cynthia24,025
  9. #9Deborah22,889
  10. #10Sandra22,420
  11. #175Vanessa2,244

Top boys' names in 1962

  1. #1Michael85,059
  2. #2David81,337
  3. #3John78,427
  4. #4James72,555
  5. #5Robert70,199
  6. #6Mark53,520
  7. #7William44,853
  8. #8Richard39,422
  9. #9Thomas36,529
  10. #10Jeffrey33,537
  11. #3,305Vanessa7
More about 1962

girls

1,966,603 girls got a published name in 1962; 1 in 876 of them was named Vanessa, which outranked 97.7% of the 7,584 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 15.9% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Vanessa
  1. #172Patty2,332
  2. #173Shelia2,271
  3. #174Tonya2,247
  4. #175Vanessa2,244
  5. #176Stacy2,227
  6. #177Tami2,209
  7. #178Stacey2,181
Biggest movers since 1961
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,281Tiffany#2,070 → #789
  2. ↑ 879Whitney#1,627 → #748
  3. ↑ 541Zina#1,533 → #992
  4. ↑ 414Glynis#1,406 → #992
  5. ↑ 408Lolita#978 → #570
Fallers
  1. ↓ 300Fern#821 → #1,121
  2. ↓ 259Jacklyn#815 → #1,074
  3. ↓ 255Dorthy#929 → #1,184
  4. ↓ 224Laurene#943 → #1,167
  5. ↓ 215Jimmie#911 → #1,126

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

2,068,772 boys got a published name in 1962; 1 in 295,539 of them was named Vanessa, which outranked 28.6% of the 4,631 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 28.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Vanessa
  1. #3,041Wyndell8
  2. #3,041Yosef8
  3. #3,041Zach8
  4. #3,305Vanessa7
  5. #3,305Ace7
  6. #3,305Adel7
  7. #3,305Aidan7
  8. #3,640Abdon6
  9. #3,640Abdullah6
  10. #3,640Alcides6

Tied with 334 names at #3,305; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1961
Risers
  1. ↑ 490Ritchie#1,262 → #772
  2. ↑ 353King#1,349 → #996
  3. ↑ 338Arlie#1,322 → #984
  4. ↑ 250Robb#1,052 → #802
  5. ↑ 243Pernell#928 → #685
Fallers
  1. ↓ 351Mariano#928 → #1,279
  2. ↓ 349Michal#910 → #1,259
  3. ↓ 337Loran#958 → #1,295
  4. ↓ 292Sid#967 → #1,259
  5. ↓ 275Lorenza#940 → #1,215

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1962 →