Nessa
Nessa was the 2744th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 63 babies. Its best year was 2016, when it ranked 2302nd with 83 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 590 places. More babies were named Nessa in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Not yet researched how we research meanings
- Rank in 2025
- #2,744 girls, up 310 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 63girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 201683 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,368babies recorded
Nessa popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,744 | 63 |
| 2020 | #3,054 | 53 |
| 2010 | #5,551 | 25 |
| 2000 | #8,404 | 12 |
| 1990 | #6,364 | 14 |
| 1980 | #4,909 | 15 |
| 1970 | #7,691 | 6 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | #4,851 | 5 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Nessa, counting every spelling?
Nessa is the most common spelling of a name family that had 63 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 63 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nessa | 63 | #2,744 | 287 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Nessa?
63 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Nessa (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Nessa born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 133 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Nessa.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Nessa?
About 1,300 people born in the US named Nessa are alive today, with a median age of 12; half are between 6 and 26. That makes Nessa a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Nessa by state
How common Nessa was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New York (1.8×). In 47 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Nessa: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Nessa, they share its era and feel.
Nessa is also a nickname for Vanessa.
Questions about the name Nessa
How popular is the name Nessa?
Nessa was the 2744th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 63 babies. Its best year was 2016, when it ranked 2302nd with 83 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 590 places. More babies were named Nessa in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Nessa a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Nessa in the US.
Where is Nessa most popular?
In 2021–2025, Nessa was most common in New York (0.06 per 1,000 girls), followed by Massachusetts and California.