Vanessa

See also: vanessa

Translingual

Vanessa atalanta

Etymology

New Latin, from the Ancient Greek deity Φάνης (Phánēs). Named by Johan Christian Fabricius.

Proper noun

Vanessa f

1. A taxonomic genus within the family Nymphalidae – brush-footed butterflies including red admirals.

Hypernyms

• (genus): Eukaryota – superkingdom; Animalia – kingdom; Bilateria – subkingdom; Protostomia – infrakingdom; Ecdysozoa – superphylum; Arthropoda – phylum; Hexapoda – subphylum; Insecta – class; Pterygota – subclass; Neoptera – infraclass; Lepidoptera – order; Glossata – suborder; Heteroneura – infraorder; Ditrysia – division; Cossina – section; Bombycina – subsection; Papilionoidea – superfamily; Papilioniformes – series; Nymphalidae – family; Nymphalinae - subfamily; Nymphalini - tribe

Hyponyms

• (genus): Vanessa atalanta (red admiral), Vanessa cardui (painted lady, cosmopolitan) - selected species

References

• Vanessa (butterfly) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Vanessa on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Category:Vanessa on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

English

Etymology

Coined by Jonathan Swift in the 18th century as a pseudonym for a lady friend named Esther Vanhomrigh (or Van Homrigh), an Irish woman of Dutch descent, by taking the Dutch preposition van from her surname and adding -essa (perhaps influenced by the first syllable of Esther) or possibly a corruption of Latin Venus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vəˈnɛsə/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛsə
• Hyphenation: Va‧nes‧sa

Proper noun

Vanessa

1. A female given name originating as a coinage.
   • 1726, Jonathan Swift, Cadenus and Vanessa:

     Vanessa be the Name / By which thou shalt be known to Fame. / Vanessa, by the Gods enroll'd: / Her Name on Earth - shall not be told.

   • 1978, Maeve Binchy, Victoria Line, Central Line, Arrow, published 1993, →ISBN, pages 178, 179:

     A kind of girl that May had before only seen in the pages of fashion magazines, bored, disdainful, elegant, reluctantly admitted her. - - - She was asked to see Vanessa on the way out. She knew that the girl would be called something like Vanessa.

   • 2007 December 3, Christy Lemire, “Review: "Juno" A Small Comic Charmer”, in CBS News‎^[1], archived from the original on 16 April 2025:

     Vanessa likes the ultrapopular Madison as a girl's name, which tells you everything you need to know about her personality.

   • 2019 February 8, Dan Merica, “Key supporters tell Justin Fairfax to step down after 2nd sexual assault allegation”, in CNN‎^[2], archived from the original on 24 December 2022:

     Democrats called for investigation, not resignation, after Vanessa Tyson accused Justin Fairfax of sexual assault earlier this week.

Translations

female given name

• Bulgarian: Ванеса f (Vanesa)
• Catalan: Vanessa
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 瓦妮莎 (Wǎnīshā)

• Czech: Vanesa (cs) f
• Danish: Vanessa
• Esperanto: Vanesa
• French: Vanessa (fr)
• German: Vanessa (de)
• Greek: Βανέσσα (el) (Vanéssa)
• Hebrew: וונסה f (vanesa)
• Hindi: वैनेसा (vainesā)
• Inuktitut: ᕙᓂᔅᓴ (fanissa)
• Italian: Vanessa (it)
• Japanese: ヴァネサ (Vanesa), ヴァネッサ (Vanessa)
• Korean: 바네사 (Banesa)
• Portuguese: Vanessa (pt) f
• Russian: Ване́сса (ru) f (Vanéssa)
• Serbo-Croatian: Vanesa f, Ванеса f
• Spanish: Vanesa (es)
• Ukrainian: Ване́сса f (Vanéssa)

Further reading

• Vanessa (name) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Avanses, Navases, Vanasse

Cebuano

Alternative forms

• Baniza — misspelled

Etymology

Borrowed from English Vanessa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbaˈnesa/ [ˌbaˈn̪i.s̪ɐ]
• Hyphenation: Va‧nes‧sa

Proper noun

Vanessa (Badlit spelling ᜊᜈᜒᜐ)

1. a female given name from English

Danish

Proper noun

Vanessa

1. a female given name from English, of recent usage

Finnish

Etymology

From English Vanessa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑnesːɑ/, [ˈʋɑ̝ne̞s̠ːɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑnesːɑ
• Syllabification^(key): Va‧nes‧sa
• Hyphenation^(key): Va‧nes‧sa

Proper noun

Vanessa

1. a female given name

Declension

Inflection of Vanessa (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		Vanessa	Vanessat
genitive		Vanessan	Vanessojen
partitive		Vanessaa	Vanessoja
illative		Vanessaan	Vanessoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		Vanessa	Vanessat
accusative	nom.	Vanessa	Vanessat
	gen.	Vanessan
genitive		Vanessan	Vanessojen Vanessain rare
partitive		Vanessaa	Vanessoja
inessive		Vanessassa	Vanessoissa
elative		Vanessasta	Vanessoista
illative		Vanessaan	Vanessoihin
adessive		Vanessalla	Vanessoilla
ablative		Vanessalta	Vanessoilta
allative		Vanessalle	Vanessoille
essive		Vanessana	Vanessoina
translative		Vanessaksi	Vanessoiksi
abessive		Vanessatta	Vanessoitta
instructive		—	Vanessoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of Vanessa (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Vanessani Vanessani accusative nom. Vanessani Vanessani gen. Vanessani genitive Vanessani Vanessojeni Vanessaini rare partitive Vanessaani Vanessojani inessive Vanessassani Vanessoissani elative Vanessastani Vanessoistani illative Vanessaani Vanessoihini adessive Vanessallani Vanessoillani ablative Vanessaltani Vanessoiltani allative Vanessalleni Vanessoilleni essive Vanessanani Vanessoinani translative Vanessakseni Vanessoikseni abessive Vanessattani Vanessoittani instructive — — comitative — Vanessoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Vanessasi Vanessasi accusative nom. Vanessasi Vanessasi gen. Vanessasi genitive Vanessasi Vanessojesi Vanessaisi rare partitive Vanessaasi Vanessojasi inessive Vanessassasi Vanessoissasi elative Vanessastasi Vanessoistasi illative Vanessaasi Vanessoihisi adessive Vanessallasi Vanessoillasi ablative Vanessaltasi Vanessoiltasi allative Vanessallesi Vanessoillesi essive Vanessanasi Vanessoinasi translative Vanessaksesi Vanessoiksesi abessive Vanessattasi Vanessoittasi instructive — — comitative — Vanessoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Vanessamme Vanessamme accusative nom. Vanessamme Vanessamme gen. Vanessamme genitive Vanessamme Vanessojemme Vanessaimme rare partitive Vanessaamme Vanessojamme inessive Vanessassamme Vanessoissamme elative Vanessastamme Vanessoistamme illative Vanessaamme Vanessoihimme adessive Vanessallamme Vanessoillamme ablative Vanessaltamme Vanessoiltamme allative Vanessallemme Vanessoillemme essive Vanessanamme Vanessoinamme translative Vanessaksemme Vanessoiksemme abessive Vanessattamme Vanessoittamme instructive — — comitative — Vanessoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Vanessanne Vanessanne accusative nom. Vanessanne Vanessanne gen. Vanessanne genitive Vanessanne Vanessojenne Vanessainne rare partitive Vanessaanne Vanessojanne inessive Vanessassanne Vanessoissanne elative Vanessastanne Vanessoistanne illative Vanessaanne Vanessoihinne adessive Vanessallanne Vanessoillanne ablative Vanessaltanne Vanessoiltanne allative Vanessallenne Vanessoillenne essive Vanessananne Vanessoinanne translative Vanessaksenne Vanessoiksenne abessive Vanessattanne Vanessoittanne instructive — — comitative — Vanessoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative Vanessansa Vanessansa accusative nom. Vanessansa Vanessansa gen. Vanessansa genitive Vanessansa Vanessojensa Vanessainsa rare partitive Vanessaansa Vanessojaan Vanessojansa inessive Vanessassaan Vanessassansa Vanessoissaan Vanessoissansa elative Vanessastaan Vanessastansa Vanessoistaan Vanessoistansa illative Vanessaansa Vanessoihinsa adessive Vanessallaan Vanessallansa Vanessoillaan Vanessoillansa ablative Vanessaltaan Vanessaltansa Vanessoiltaan Vanessoiltansa allative Vanessalleen Vanessallensa Vanessoilleen Vanessoillensa essive Vanessanaan Vanessanansa Vanessoinaan Vanessoinansa translative Vanessakseen Vanessaksensa Vanessoikseen Vanessoiksensa abessive Vanessattaan Vanessattansa Vanessoittaan Vanessoittansa instructive — — comitative — Vanessoineen Vanessoinensa

Statistics

• Vanessa is the 256^th most common female given name in Finland, belonging to 2,106 female individuals (and as a middle name to 1,145 more), according to August 2025 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /va.nɛ.sa/ ~ /va.ne.sa/

Proper noun

Vanessa f

1. a female given name from English, of recent usage

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [vaˈnɛsa]

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

• Audio (Austria):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Va‧nes‧sa

Proper noun

Vanessa

1. a female given name from English, of recent usage

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vaˈnes.sa/
• Rhymes: -essa
• Hyphenation: Va‧nés‧sa

Proper noun

Vanessa f

1. a female given name from English, of recent usage

Anagrams

• navasse, vanasse

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English Vanessa.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /vaˈne.sɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /vaˈne.sɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /vaˈne.sa/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /vɐˈnɛ.sɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /vɐˈnɛ.sɐ/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /bɐˈnɛ.sɐ/

• Rhymes: (Brazil) -esɐ, (Portugal) -ɛsɐ
• Hyphenation: Va‧nes‧sa

Proper noun

Vanessa f (plural Vanessas)

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Vanessa

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English Vanessa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baˈnesa/ [baˈne.sa]
• Rhymes: -esa
• Syllabification: Va‧nes‧sa

Proper noun

Vanessa f

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Vanessa

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from English Vanessa.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /vaˈnesa/ [vɐˈn̪ɛː.sɐ]
  • IPA^(key): (with nativization) /baˈnesa/ [bɐˈn̪ɛː.sɐ]
• Rhymes: -esa
• Syllabification: Va‧ne‧ssa

Proper noun

Vanessa (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜈᜒᜐ)

1. a female given name from English