Venessa
Respelling of Vanessa, a name invented by Jonathan Swift for his friend Esther Vanhomrigh by combining the start of her surname with part of her first name.
Venessa in 2025
Venessa was not given to any babies in 2025. The Social Security Administration only publishes a name once at least five babies receive it in a year, so Venessa has fallen below that threshold.
The history of Venessa
Venessa reached its highest point in 1984, when 239 babies were given the name, ranking 1,234th that year.
Across the 104 years of records since 1922, 5,767 babies have been named Venessa. Half of them were born before 1982, which places the name's centre of gravity with Millennials.
Venessa by decade
| Decade | Babies named Venessa | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 9,567 |
| 1930s | 5 | 8,012 |
| 1940s | 17 | 7,562 |
| 1950s | 441 | 1,974 |
| 1960s | 751 | 1,810 |
| 1970s | 1,226 | 1,458 |
| 1980s | 1,978 | 1,234 |
| 1990s | 785 | 2,336 |
| 2000s | 390 | 4,678 |
| 2010s | 136 | 10,446 |
| 2020s | 33 | 16,124 |
Where Venessa is heading
Venessa has fallen 100% over the past decade, from 21 babies in 2015 to 0 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1984 peak — Venessa is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Venessa
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Venessa.