Vanessa has been given to about 262,606 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1985, which makes it a Gen X and millennial name.
Vanessa ranks 377th among American girls in 2025, with 813 born that year. Its best year was 1985, when 7,605 babies were given the name, ranking 42nd. The typical living American called Vanessa is about 37 years old today. It is relatively most common in Hawaii, where it accounts for 0.10% of births.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.