Total births
261,622
Girls' name · since 1900
Vanessa
261,622 babies named Vanessa in U.S. Social Security records since 1900, with the highest year being 1985. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #335
- among girls today
- 261,622
- born since 1900
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Vanessa is the #335 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 261,622 recorded since 1900.
Social Security Administration records show Vanessa recorded 261,622 times among girls since 1900, holding rank #335 nationally today, ahead of 98% of girls, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1900 to 2025.
- #335 among girls today
- 261,622 born since 1900
- 1980s peak decade
- 98% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Vanessa is currently the #335 girls' name in America, more common than 98% of girls - 261,622 born since 1900, peaking in the 1980s.
- #335
- among girls today
- 261,622
- born since 1900
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Vanessa vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#335
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 98% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Vanessa was born in this single decade.
1985
Single peak year
7,563 babies were named Vanessa in 1985 - its busiest year on record.
How Vanessa compares
261,622 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 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
Vanessa's all-time total is 685x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Vanessa | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 261,622 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 7,563 | 48 | 19,840 |
Vanessa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Vanessa splits its recorded history at 1971: 83% of all births land in the more recent half, 17% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1913 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1985 peak of 7,563 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Vanessa at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1985
Current rank
#335
Active since
1900
Vanessa popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1900–2025
- Peak year (1985)
- 7,563
- Annual births at peak, across 126 years of records
Vanessa popularity over time - boys
984 total births recorded since 1954 (Vanessa as boys' name)
Vanessa by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Vanessa's strongest decade.
65,731 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Vanessa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 6
1900s
6 births
- 1910s 35
1910s
35 births
- 1920s 51
1920s
51 births
- 1930s 124
1930s
124 births
- 1940s 295
1940s
295 births
- 1950s 19,170
1950s
19,170 births
- 1960s 20,983
1960s
20,983 births
- 1970s
1970s
28,077 births
- 1980s
1980s
65,731 births
- 1990s
1990s
57,920 births
- 2000s
2000s
43,229 births
- 2010s 19,600
2010s
19,600 births
- 2020s 6,401
2020s
6,401 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 65,731 births (25% of all-time use).
How Vanessa 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 Vanessa's total volume
Vanessa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Vanessa by state
Where Vanessa concentrates geographically, total births since 1900
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 63,074 | 24.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 31,433 | 12.0% |
| #3 | New York | | 19,200 | 7.3% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 13,410 | 5.1% |
| #5 | Florida | | 13,196 | 5.0% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 7,646 | 2.9% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 7,226 | 2.8% |
| #8 | Arizona | | 7,093 | 2.7% |
California share of Vanessa's total US births 24.1%
Even split
63,074 of 261,622 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Vanessa appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Vanessa? ▼
Since 1900, Social Security records show 261,622 babies named Vanessa. Today it holds rank #335 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1985, with 7,563 births.
When was Vanessa most popular? ▼
Vanessa was most popular in the 1980s decade with 65,731 total births. The single peak year was 1985.
Where is Vanessa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Vanessa are California (63,074 births), Texas (31,433 births), New York (19,200 births).
How long has the name Vanessa been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Vanessa since 1900 -- 126 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Vanessa? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Vanesa, Vannessa, Vania, Vanita, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Vanessa's data
- Vanessa's decade-level peak was the 1980s (65,731 total births); usage has since declined to 6,401 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Vanessas (63,074 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Vanessa
Nearby Names Like Vanessa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Vanessa
Vanesa Girl
#5331 6,539 births
Vannessa Girl
3,231 births
Vania Girl
#2828 2,992 births
Vanita Girl
2,056 births
Vanna Girl
#3765 2,009 births
Compare Vanessa side by side: Vanessa vs Vanesa Vanessa vs Vannessa Vanessa vs Vania
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Vanessa
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1900–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Vanessa: #335 Girls' Name - 261,622 Births, Peak 1985." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/vanessa. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Vanessa 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 June 2026.