Vanesa
Girl name · 7 babies recorded · 1974–2025
Vanesa: 7 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 4 births in 2015.
Of Spanish and Greek origin, Vanesa is a variant of Vanessa, a name coined by the Anglo-Irish writer Jonathan Swift in the 1700s. He blended the first syllables of his lover Esther Vanhomrigh’s surname, ‘Van’, with ‘Essa’, a pet form of Esther. The name carries no traditional meaning, but over time came to be associated with the Vanessa butterfly (the Red Admiral’s genus), giving it a delicate, natural air. Few famous bearers are recorded in Scotland, but globally it includes actress Vanessa Redgrave and singer Vanessa Williams. You’ll also see the more common spelling Vanessa, which is far more frequent in Scottish birth records.
Girl 2 of 52 years
- Peak year
- 20154 babies
- Latest (2023)
- #7493 babies
- Total births
- 7since 2015
- 5-year trend
- ≈ stablevs prior 5y