Yanessa
A modern feminine name of unknown origin, possibly blending Yana or Jana with -essa.
Name Census estimates that about 397 living Americans carry the first name Yanessa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yanessa today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yanessa births was 2007 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yanessa. 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
397
~ 1 in 863,361 Americans
Peak year
2007
20 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2021 SSA rank
#17,548
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Yanessa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yanessa from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 133 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yanessa 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 Yanessa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yanessas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Yanessa
The name Yanessa is a modern invented name with no known definitive etymology or origin. It appears to be a variant or combination of the more common names Yana and Vanessa.
Yana is a Slavic name derived from the Greek name Ioanna, which itself stems from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "God is gracious." The name Yana gained popularity in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia and Ukraine, during the Middle Ages.
Vanessa, on the other hand, is a name of uncertain origin, but it is believed to be a combination of the names Venetia and Ness. Venetia was a region in northeastern Italy, while Ness is a Scottish surname derived from the word "ness," meaning a promontory or headland.
While the name Yanessa itself does not have a clear historical reference or appearance in ancient texts, it is possible that it was formed by combining elements of the names Yana and Vanessa in modern times.
Unfortunately, there are no widely known historical figures or prominent individuals named Yanessa. However, here are five people who share this first name:
1. Yanessa Josselyn, an American actress and model born in 1990.
2. Yanessa Quintero, a Venezuelan model and beauty pageant titleholder, born in 1993.
3. Yanessa Calderon, a Peruvian volleyball player who competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
4. Yanessa Bocanegra, a Colombian football (soccer) player who plays as a defender.
5. Yanessa Díaz Martínez, a Spanish rhythmic gymnast who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Since Yanessa is a relatively modern and uncommon name, it is challenging to find extensive historical records or references beyond the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
People
Yanessa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yanessa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yanessa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yanessa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 397 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yanessa 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 863,361 US residents.
Is Yanessa a common name?
We classify Yanessa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 405 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yanessa most popular?
The single biggest year for Yanessa was 2007, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yanessa is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Yanessa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yanessa 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.