Nesa

♀ Girl

Pronounced NEE-suh /ˈniː.sə/Medium

Meaning: Nesa is a short form drawn from the tail of names like Agnes, Vanessa, or Denise, given as a first name in its own right. Through Agnes it can carry the Greek sense of 'pure' or 'holy'; through Vanessa it is simply a coined literary name. The result is a soft, versatile short name without one fixed root.Low

In 30 seconds: Nesa is a short form of Agnes or Vanessa, used on its own. It stayed rare, peaking around 1992 (said NEE-suh).

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Origin LowGreek, English

MeaningNesa is a short form drawn from the tail of names like Agnes, Vanessa, or Denise, given as a first name in its own right. Through Agnes it can carry the Greek sense of 'pure' or 'holy'; through Vanessa it is simply a coined literary name. The result is a soft, versatile short name without one fixed root.

U.S. rank (2023)#14656 ↘ Falling

2023 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1992

Total births (all-time)≈ 101

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

Nesa is a short, gentle name lifted from the endings of Agnes, Vanessa, and Denise, given on its own. Its meaning depends on the parent: 'pure' through Agnes, or none in particular through the invented Vanessa. Names of this trimmed shape have long appealed to parents wanting something soft and simple, and Nesa's sense follows whichever fuller name a family had in mind.

Nesa was always rare, given to only about twenty girls a year at its peak around 1992, with thin, scattered use across the decades. A woman named Nesa at that peak is in her mid-thirties today.

Did you know? Nesa can be pulled from the end of several names, most often Agnes, whose Greek root means 'pure' or 'holy,' or the literary coinage Vanessa.

Overall data confidence 35%

References - Nesa — Short form of Agnes/Vanessa/Denise; Agnes = Greek 'pure'

Variations

NessaNisaNeesa

Nicknames

NesNessie

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Nesa…

Nessa— a close cousin spelling and sound

Nisa— a like short soft girl's name

Vanessa— a fuller name Nesa can shorten

Denisa— another name behind the -nesa sound

Explore names like Nesa

By themerare short diminutive

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Nesa mean?

It is a short form of Agnes or Vanessa; through Agnes it can carry the Greek sense of 'pure.'

How do you pronounce Nesa?

It is said NEE-suh /ˈniː.sə/, two syllables with the stress on the first.

Is Nesa a boy or girl name?

Nesa is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Nesa?

It has always been rare, given to only about twenty girls a year at its peak in the early nineteen-nineties.