Jonathan Swift invented the girls’ name Vanessa

Particularly well-liked in the US, Germany, and Brazil is the feminine given name, Vanessa. The Anglo-Irish author Jonathan Swift created it for Esther Vanhomrigh, whom he had trained after they had met in 1708. This is an interesting fact about Jonathan Swift. The name was made by combining "Essa," a pet version of Esther, with the "Van" in Vanhomrigh's last name.

The first time the name Vanessa was printed was in Cadenus and Vanessa, a poem by Swift about his friendship with Vanhomrigh that was published in 1726. The poem was composed by Swift in 1713, but it was not made public until 1715, three years after Vanhomrigh's passing. Johan Christian Fabricius chose the name Vanessa for a genus of butterflies in 1807.

In 2007, the 71st most common girl's name in the United States was Vanessa. Since 1953, it has ranked among the top 200 girls' names in the US, and since 1977, it has ranked in the top 100. It debuted in 1950 when it was rated 939th on the list of the top 1,000 girls' names in the United States.

Since 1976, Vanessa has ranked among the top 100 girls' names in Germany. The name grew in popularity and peaked at number 7 on the list of girls' names throughout the 1990s. The name fell out of favor in the years that followed, and it is now placed 42nd overall for the ten years between 2000 and 2009.