Feminine dossier · first seen 1900
Vanessa
Stable Decline
Gradual decline from 1985
Peak era
1985
Peak births
7,563
Current vitality
Fragile
Peak generation
Millennial
Quick answers about Vanessa
How many people are named Vanessa?
An estimated 242,449 living Americans are named Vanessa.
How rare is Vanessa?
Vanessa is moderately uncommon among babies today, with 813 girls receiving the name in 2025, down 89.3% from its 1985 peak.
How old is the typical Vanessa?
The median age of a living American named Vanessa is approximately 36 years, with most bearers falling between 25 and 45 years old.
Is Vanessa still popular?
Not especially. Vanessa has been declining since its 1985 peak and registered 813 births in 2025.
Where is Vanessa most common?
Vanessa has its strongest geographic signal in New Mexico, where it appears 3.3× more often than the national baseline.
1900Peak 19852025
Peak year
1985
Decline from peak
89.3%
2025
813
All-time
261,622
Where it lives now
Vanessa is most concentrated in New Mexico — about 3.3× the national rate in the 1980s.
States where Vanessa is given more often than the national average — its present-day heartland.