Nessa
A feminine name of Irish origin meaning "daughter of grace".
Name Census estimates that about 1,266 living Americans carry the first name Nessa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nessa today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nessa births was 2016 (83 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nessa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 270,738 Americans
Peak year
2016
83 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,867
Tracked since 1935
Popularity
Nessa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nessa from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 457 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Nessa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nessa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Nessa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nessas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Nessa, while Ohio, Georgia, Wisconsin recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nessa
The name Nessa is believed to have its origins in the Irish language. It is derived from the Gaelic word "neas," which means "noble" or "dignified." The name gained popularity in Ireland during the Middle Ages, particularly among the Irish nobility and ruling classes.
Nessa is also associated with the legendary figure Nessa, who was a powerful queen and warrior in ancient Irish mythology. According to the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Nessa was the wife of the high king Conor mac Nessa and the mother of the legendary hero Cúchulainn. Her name is mentioned in several ancient Irish texts, including the Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley), which dates back to the 8th or 9th century.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Nessa can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The Annals mention a woman named Nessa ingen Mhuireadhaigh, who died in 1082 CE. Another notable figure named Nessa was Nessa Ní Shéaghain, a 16th-century Irish noblewoman and patron of the arts.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Nessa. One of the most famous was Nessa Robins (1888-1981), a British novelist and playwright known for her works exploring the lives of women in the early 20th century. Another notable Nessa was Nessa Cohen (1936-2020), an Israeli writer and translator who was awarded the prestigious Israel Prize for Hebrew Literature in 2012.
Other notable individuals named Nessa include Nessa Cahill (born 1978), an Irish singer-songwriter and member of the band Wyvern Lingo; Nessa Childers (born 1956), an Irish politician and former Member of the European Parliament; and Nessa Ní Chuanaigh (born 1969), an Irish actress and director known for her work in both Irish and English language productions.
While the name Nessa has its roots in ancient Irish culture, it has since gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly among those of Irish descent or those drawn to its unique and meaningful origins.
People
Nessa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nessa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nessa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nessa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,266 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nessa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 270,738 US residents.
Is Nessa a common name?
We classify Nessa as "Rare". It ranks above 91.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,304 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nessa most popular?
The single biggest year for Nessa was 2016, when 83 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nessa is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nessa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nessa in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.