Girls' name · peaked in 1985
Vanessa name popularity since 1925
262,539 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Vanessa. Half of them were born in 1989 or earlier, so the typical Vanessa is about 37 years old in 2026. Vanessa peaked in 1985 as the #42 name for girls, and it ranked #377 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 262,539
- Named Vanessa, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #377
- for girls in 2025 (813 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% girls
- 261,555 girls · 984 boys
- Most popular in
- California
- 2.27× its national share
Peak year is the year Vanessa made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Vanessa births per year, 1925–2025
1985 was the biggest year for Vanessa both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1951 and 1956, Vanessa became 13× more common, from 1 in 10,200 baby girls to 1 in 767.
- Steepest fall: Between 2008 and 2013, its share of baby girls fell by 44%, from 1 in 469 to 1 in 838.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Vanessa's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Vanessa.
Decade by decade
Babies named Vanessa in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 25 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 124 | 0 | #1,304 |
| 1940s | 295 | 0 | #1,988 |
| 1950s | 19,170 | 48 | #140 |
| 1960s | 20,983 | 63 | #203 |
| 1970s | 28,077 | 111 | #115 |
| 1980s | 65,731 | 456 | #42 |
| 1990s | 57,920 | 214 | #63 |
| 2000s | 43,229 | 68 | #80 |
| 2010s | 19,600 | 24 | #187 |
| 2020–25 | 6,401 | 0 | #377 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
39.2% of babies named Vanessa from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Vanessa is most popular
The index compares Vanessa's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Vanessa.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| California | 2.27× | 63,335 |
| Arizona | 2.08× | 7,101 |
| Nevada | 1.95× | 1,831 |
| New Mexico | 1.94× | 2,828 |
| Texas | 1.53× | 31,527 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Vanessa and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Vanessa (this page) | 261,555 | 1985 |
| Vanesa | 6,539 | 2002 |
| Vannessa | 3,231 | 1987 |
| Vannesa | 1,220 | 1998 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Vanessa's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Vanessa.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Vanessa (1985).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data