Girls' name · since 1935
Nessa
Nessa has 1,368 recorded births since 1935 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2016 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #6,068 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,729 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,368
- born since 1935
- 2010s
- peak decade
Nessa currently ranks #2729 among girls' names in America, with 1,368 babies recorded since 1935.
Nessa has 1,368 recorded births among girls since 1935, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2729 as of the latest data, more common than 84% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1935 to 2025.
- #6,068 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,729 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 1,368 born since 1935
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nessa ranks #6,068 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,729 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,368 born since 1935, peaking in the 2010s.
- #6,068 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,729 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,368
- born since 1935
- 2010s
- peak decade
Nessa's 1,368 recorded births place it above 91.61% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
10 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Nessa compares
1,368 Top 27% higher than 73% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Nessa's all-time total is 4x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nessa | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,368 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 83 | 21 | 19,840 |
Nessa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Nessa's SSA record in two at 1996 and the more recent half accounts for 78% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 22%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1935, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2016 peak of 83, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Nessa popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1935–2025
- Peak year (2016)
- 83
- Annual births at peak, across 91 years of records
Nessa by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (458 births, 33% of the file).
2010s was Nessa's strongest decade.
458 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Nessa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 5
1930s
5 births
- 1940s 11
1940s
11 births
- 1960s 12
1960s
12 births
- 1970s 73
1970s
73 births
- 1980s 105
1980s
105 births
- 1990s 139
1990s
139 births
- 2000s
2000s
225 births
- 2010s
2010s
458 births
- 2020s
2020s
340 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 458 births (33% of all-time use).
How Nessa compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Nessa's total volume
Nessa by state
Where Nessa concentrates geographically, total births since 1935
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 96 | 7.0% |
| #2 | New York | | 58 | 4.2% |
| #3 | Texas | | 28 | 2.0% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 13 | 1.0% |
| #5 | Massachusetts | | 12 | 0.9% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 6 | 0.4% |
| #7 | Washington | | 6 | 0.4% |
| #8 | Wisconsin | | 6 | 0.4% |
96 of 1,368 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 10 reporting states.
Nessa appears in 10 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nessa? ▼
Where does Nessa sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Nessa most popular? ▼
Where is Nessa most popular? ▼
How long has the name Nessa been used? ▼
What names are similar to Nessa? ▼
What to do with Nessa's data
- Nessa's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (458 total births) through the 2020s (340) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Nessas (96 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nessa
Nearby Names Like Nessa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nessa
Compare Nessa side by side: Nessa vs Nesha Nessa vs Nesreen Nessa vs Nesa
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nessa
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nessa: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2016)
Similar record span (~90 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1935–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Nessa draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.