Vanessa (name)
| Vanessa | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /vəˈnɛsə/ |
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | coined from Esther Vanhomrigh (Van + Es → Vanessa) |
| Other names | |
| Short form(s) | Vany, Ness, Nessa, Vanny, Vaness, Nessi, Vans, Nester, Nessie, Nessy, V, Van |
| Related names | Vane (Spanish), Vanessza (Hungarian), Wanesa (Polish), Vanasia |
Vanessa is a feminine given name, especially popular in the United States, Germany and Brazil. It was invented by the Anglo-Irish writer Jonathan Swift for Esther Vanhomrigh, 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 of Esther.[1]
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 has been adopted later as the name of a genus of butterfly by Johan Christian Fabricius 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 ranked in 939th place.[2]
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.[3]
Translations
- Arabic: فانيسا (Fānīsā)
- Belarusian: Ванэса (Vanesa)
- Bulgarian: Ванеса (Vanesa)
- Chinese (Simplified) 凡妮莎 (Fánnīshā) (Traditional) 凡妮莎 (Fánnīshā)
- Czech: Vanesa
- Greek: Βανέσσα
- Gujarati: વેનેસા (Vēnēsā)
- Hebrew: ונסה (Venesa)
- Hindi: वेनेसा (Vēnēsā)
- Hungarian: Vanessza
- Japanese: ヴァネサ (Vanesa)
- Korean: 바네사 (Banesa)
- Macedonian: Ванеса (Vanesa)
- Mongolian: Ванесса (Vanyessa)
- Persian: ونسا (Wanisā)
- Russian: Ванесса (Vanessa)
- Serbian: Ванеса (Vanesa)
- Slovak: Vanesa
- Tamil: வனேசா (Vaṉēcā)
- Telugu: వెనెస్సా (Venes'sā)
- Thai: วาเนสซ่า (Wānes̄s̀ā)
- Ukrainian: Ванесса (Vanessa)
- Urdu: وینیسا (Wanysā)
- Yiddish: וואַנעססאַ (Vanessa)
List of persons with the given name
- Vanessa Ament, American foley artist and author
- Vanessa Anderson, Australian teen whose death led to the Garling Report
- Vanessa Amorosi, Australian singer
- Vanessa Barrs, Australian veterinary scientist
- Vanessa Beecroft, Italian artist
- Vanessa Bell, English artist and the sister of author Virginia Woolf
- Vanessa Bell Calloway, American actress
- Vanessa Carlton, American singer best known for her hit single "A Thousand Miles"
- Vanessa da Mata, Brazilian singer
- Vanessa Daou, American artist
- Vanessa Duriès, French writer
- Vanessa Feltz, English journalist and broadcaster
- Vanessa Ferlito, American actress
- Vanessa Ferrari, Italian gymnast
- Vanessa García, Puerto Rican freestyle swimmer
- Vanessa Hessler, American-Italian model and actress
- Vanessa Hudgens, American actress and singer
- Vanessa Huppenkothen, Mexican model, actress, and presenter
- Vanessa Johansson, American actress, sister of Scarlett Johansson
- Vanessa King, Canadian actress
- Vanessa Lachey, American television personality, television host, and actress
- Vanessa Lengies, Canadian actress
- Vanessa de Lisle, British fashion journalist
- Vanessa Mae, British pop and classical musician, especially noted for her violin skills
- Vanessa Marano, American actress
- Vanessa Marcil, American actress
- Vanessa Marshall, American actress and voice actress
- Vanessa Morley, Canadian voice actress
- Vanessa Paradis, French actress and singer
- Vanessa Porto, Brazilian mixed martial artist
- Vanessa Redgrave, English actress and political activist
- Vanessa Ray, American Actress (Pretty Little Liars)
- Vanessa Ward (née Browne), Australian high jumper
- Vanessa A. Williams, American actress
- Vanessa L. Williams, American model, singer, songwriter, and actress
- Vanessa R. Williams, American gospel singer
- Vanessa White, English singer with The Saturdays
- Vanessa Zahorian American ballerina
Fictional characters
- Vanessa (King of Fighters), a character in SNK Playmore's The King of Fighters video game series
- Vanessa, a character in the Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide American sitcom
- Vanessa Doofenshmirtz, Dr Doofensmirtz's daughter in the animated television series Phineas and Ferb
- Vanessa Fisk, wife of mobster Wilson Fisk, Kingpin of Crime in the Marvel Comic Universe
- Vanessa Huxtable, a character on the American television sitcom The Cosby Show
- Vanessa Lewis, a character in the Virtua_Fighter video game series
- Vanessa, the alias of Disney's The Little Mermaid character Ursula in the 1989 film
- Vanessa Abrams, a character on the television series Gossip Girl
- The Groovy Girls doll line, by Manhattan Toy, features two dolls named Vanessa, one of which is one of the main six.
- Vanessa Gold, a character from the British soap opera, EastEnders
- Vanessa Villante, a character from the Australian soap opera, Neighbours
- Vanessa Woodfield, a character from the British soap opera, Emmerdale
- Vanessa Kensington, a character from the Austin Powers series.
- Vanessa Sands, a character from the book series Siren written by Tricia Rayburn.
References
- ↑ DeGategno, Paul J.; R. Jay Stubblefield (2006). Critical Companion to Jonathan Swift. p. 42.
- ↑ "Social Security Administration".
- ↑ "Popularity of the name Vanessa in Germany".