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Banessa
How to Pronounce Banessa
Pronounced buh-NESS-uh /bəˈnɛsə/High
Meaning: Banessa is a B-for-V spelling of Vanessa, a name invented by the writer Jonathan Swift in the early 1700s from Esther Vanhomrigh (Van- plus Essa). The B- spelling reflects the Spanish merging of b/v sounds; the meaning and story are inherited from Vanessa, a literary coinage rather than an old word.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Banessa is a spelling of Vanessa, a name the satirist Jonathan Swift coined around 1712 from Esther Vanhomrigh, joining her Van- with a pet form of Esther. The B- spelling arises where the b and v sounds merge, as in Spanish, so Banessa is common in Latino families while keeping Vanessa's literary story.
It stayed a small name: only a couple dozen girls a year, with a high point around 1998 and a run continuing thinly into the twenty-tens. A girl named Banessa then is in her twenties now. It travels with Vanessa rather than standing out on its own.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Banessa mean?
It is a spelling of Vanessa, a literary name coined by Jonathan Swift from Esther Vanhomrigh; it has a story rather than an ancient meaning.
How do you pronounce Banessa?
It's said buh-NESS-uh /bəˈnɛsə/, three syllables, stress on the middle.
Is Banessa a boy or girl name?
Banessa is used as a girl's name.
Is Banessa a popular name?
No, it stayed rare, borne by only a couple dozen girls a year around its late-nineties best.