US Popularity Rank: 23782

Origin: British

Meaning: Butterfly

Help baby take flight with the name Vannessa. A respelling of the popular name Vanessa, this choice has English and Greek origins. The name Vanessa was invented by Anglo-Irish author Jonathan Swift in 1712, and was first seen in print in his 1726 poem Cadenus and Vanessa. Its definition of “butterfly” came later, after entomologist Johann Christian Fabricius named a species of butterfly after the poem. Baby Vannessa is sure to love this fluttery and feminine choice.