Vannessa
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from "Venetia".
Name Census estimates that about 2,947 living Americans carry the first name Vannessa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vannessa today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vannessa births was 1987 (123 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vannessa. 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
2.9K
~ 1 in 116,306 Americans
Peak year
1987
123 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2022 SSA rank
#15,160
Tracked since 1951
Census
Vannessa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,827 people with the first name Vannessa, which placed it at #5,861 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#5,861
National first-name rank
People counted
2.8K
2,827 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
46.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vannessa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vannessa is Hispanic at 46.0%. The next largest groups are White (25.8%) and Black (19.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Vannessa described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Vannessa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino46.0% · 1,301
- White25.8% · 730
- Black or African American19.3% · 545
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.9% · 110
- Two or more races3.8% · 107
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 34
Popularity
Vannessa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vannessa from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 785 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vannessa 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 Vannessa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vannessas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Vannessa, while Georgia, Alabama, New Mexico recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 92 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vannessa
Vannessa is a feminine given name with its origins traced back to the ancient Greek language and culture. It is derived from the word "phanessa," which means "to bring light" or "to shine." The name's earliest known use can be traced back to the 5th century BCE, when it was mentioned in the writings of the Greek philosopher Plato.
The name Vannessa gained popularity during the Byzantine era, particularly among the nobility and ruling classes. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was Vannessa of Constantinople, a noblewoman who lived in the 10th century CE. She was known for her philanthropic efforts and her support of the arts and literature.
In the 12th century, the name Vannessa appeared in the works of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri, who mentioned a character by that name in his famous work "The Divine Comedy." This literary reference helped to further popularize the name throughout Europe during the Middle Ages.
During the Renaissance period, the name Vannessa was associated with several notable figures. One of the most famous was Vannessa Ferreira, a Portuguese painter and sculptor who lived in the 16th century. Her works were commissioned by the royal courts of Portugal and Spain, and she was renowned for her portraiture and religious art.
Another notable figure with the name Vannessa was Vannessa Montague, an English writer and poet who lived in the 17th century. She was known for her satirical works and her critical commentary on the social and political issues of her time.
In the 18th century, the name Vannessa was closely associated with Vannessa Bell, an English painter and member of the Bloomsbury Group. She was a prominent figure in the modernist art movement and was known for her innovative techniques and bold use of color.
During the 19th century, the name Vannessa gained popularity in the United States and other parts of the world. One notable figure with this name was Vannessa Ream, an American sculptor who was the first female artist to be commissioned by the United States government to create a statue for the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Vannessa. While the name's popularity has fluctuated over time, it continues to be used in various cultures and regions around the world, carrying with it a rich history and cultural significance.
People
Vannessa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vannessa 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
Vannessa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vannessa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,947 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vannessa 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 116,306 US residents.
Is Vannessa a common name?
We classify Vannessa as "Rare". It ranks above 95.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,232 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vannessa most popular?
The single biggest year for Vannessa was 1987, when 123 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vannessa is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Vannessa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,827 people with the name Vannessa, or 0.94 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,861 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Vannessa in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Vannessa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Vannessa appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,828 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Vannessa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vannessa is Hispanic at 46.0%. The next largest groups are White (25.8%) and Black (19.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Vannessa most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Vannessa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.0% (1,301 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Vannessa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vannessa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vannessa 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.
Is Vannessa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vannessa in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Vannessa can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people share the name Vannessa?
You can see how many Americans are named Vannessa on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.