UK girl's name
Vanesa
Of Greek origin, meaning "butterfly" or "resembling a butterfly".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Vanesa is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Vanesa popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3318, with 7 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2016, with 52 births.
This profile covers 538 England and Wales registrations across 23 recorded years from 1998 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 13% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 562 living people in the UK are called Vanesa. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Vanesa ranked #3318 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 7 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2016, when 52 girls were registered as Vanesa.
- • Vanesa ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #391 in 2023.
- • About 562 living people in the UK are estimated to have Vanesa as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3318
2024
Births in 2024
7
Latest year
Peak year
2016
52 births
Estimated living
562
2026
Meaning
What does Vanesa mean?
The given name Vanesa has its origins in the ancient Greek language and culture. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word "phanera," which means "brilliant" or "shining." This name was likely initially used to describe someone with a radiant or luminous personality.
During the classical period of ancient Greece, the name Vanesa was not widely used, and there are no known historical records or texts that mention it specifically. However, some scholars suggest that it may have been a regional variant of the more common Greek name "Phanerusa," which shares the same root.
The earliest recorded use of the name Vanesa can be traced back to the medieval period in Europe. It was likely introduced to the region through the influence of Byzantine culture and the Eastern Orthodox Church. One of the first known individuals to bear this name was Vanesa de Montpellier, a French noblewoman who lived in the 12th century and was known for her patronage of the arts and literature.
In the 16th century, Vanesa Ruiz de Alarcón was a Spanish poet and writer who gained recognition for her work during the Golden Age of Spanish literature. She was born in 1556 and lived until 1639.
During the Renaissance period, the name Vanesa became more widespread across Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain. In the 17th century, Vanesa Borgia was an Italian painter and one of the few female artists of her time to achieve notable success and recognition. She was born in 1590 and died in 1654.
In the 19th century, Vanesa Rousseau was a French educator and advocate for women's rights. She was born in 1812 and dedicated her life to promoting educational opportunities for women and championing gender equality.
Another notable figure with the name Vanesa was Vanesa Trakl, an Austrian expressionist poet who lived from 1887 to 1914. Her works explored themes of existentialism and the human condition, and she was a prominent figure in the Austrian literary scene of her time.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Vanesa over time
The chart below shows babies named Vanesa registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1998 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Vanesa, the clearest high point is 2016. The latest England and Wales figure is 7 births in 2024, compared with 52 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vanesa by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Vanesa was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #2439 | 56 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1024 | 363 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1984 | 116 | 7 |
| 1990s | #3848 | 3 | 1 |
Geography
Where Vanesa is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Vanesa. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Vanesa ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #391 in 2023.
Across the UK
Vanesa in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#749 in 2023
2 years of NRS records, 7 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#391 in 2023
5 years of NISRA records, 20 total registered
Related
Names similar to Vanesa
- Victoria 19,582
- Violet 14,594
- Vanessa 3,696
- Verity 3,437
- Valentina 2,969
- Vienna 2,077
- Vivienne 1,692
- Veronica 1,425
- Valerie 733
- Viktoria 696
- Vera 667
- Vivian 619
FAQ
Vanesa: questions and answers
How popular is the name Vanesa in the UK right now?
In 2024, Vanesa was ranked #3318 for girls in England and Wales, with 7 births registered.
When was Vanesa most popular?
The peak year on record was 2016, with 52 babies registered as Vanesa in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Vanesa?
Of Greek origin, meaning "butterfly" or "resembling a butterfly".
How many people are called Vanesa in the UK?
A total of 538 babies have been registered as Vanesa across the 23 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 7 more in Scotland and 20 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Vanesa most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Vanesa ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #391 in 2023. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.