Vaness
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly from the Greek Phoibe meaning "bright, radiant".
Name Census estimates that about 270 living Americans carry the first name Vaness. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vaness today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vaness births was 1988 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vaness. 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
270
~ 1 in 1,269,461 Americans
Peak year
1988
26 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2003 SSA rank
#18,295
Tracked since 1959
Popularity
Vaness: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vaness from the 1950s through to the 2000s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 146 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vaness 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 Vaness during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vaness' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Vaness
The name Vaness has its origins in the ancient Latin language, dating back to the Roman Empire era. It is derived from the Latin word "vanitas," which means "vanity" or "emptiness." This name likely emerged during the early days of Christianity, when virtues like humility and selflessness were highly valued, and vanity was seen as a sin.
In the 4th century, there are records of a Roman Christian martyr named Saint Vanessa, who was persecuted for her faith during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. Her story is documented in the ancient texts, "Acta Sanctorum" (Acts of the Saints), which may have contributed to the popularization of the name in early Christian communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vaness can be found in the writings of Saint Jerome, a 4th-century scholar and translator of the Bible. He mentions a woman named Vanessa in one of his letters, suggesting that the name was in use during that time period.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Vaness was relatively uncommon, but it gained some popularity during the Renaissance period. One notable figure from this era was Vanessa Bell (1879-1961), a British painter and member of the Bloomsbury Group, known for her abstract and Post-Impressionist works.
In the 17th century, the name was used by the English poet and playwright Jonathan Swift in his poem "Cadenus and Vanessa." The poem tells the story of a fictionalized romance between Swift and his close friend, Esther Vanhomrigh, whom he referred to as Vanessa.
Another famous bearer of the name was Vanessa Redgrave (1937-present), the acclaimed British actress known for her roles in films such as "Isadora," "Julia," and "Howards End." She has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award.
In the world of literature, Vanessa Bell Calloway (1957-present) is an American actress best known for her role as Zora Neale Hurston in the film "Their Eyes Were Watching God." She has also appeared in several other films and television shows.
Vanessa Carlton (1980-present) is an American singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the early 2000s with her hit single "A Thousand Miles." She has released several successful albums and continues to be an influential figure in the music industry.
Despite its ancient roots, the name Vaness remains a relatively uncommon choice in modern times, but it has a rich history and cultural significance that reflects its Latin origins and connections to early Christianity, literature, and the arts.
People
Vaness + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vaness as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vaness: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vaness?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 270 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vaness 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 1,269,461 US residents.
Is Vaness a common name?
We classify Vaness as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 288 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vaness most popular?
The single biggest year for Vaness was 1988, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vaness is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vaness a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vaness 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.