Meaning: Its source is a Greek expression meaning "Butterflies."

Popularity: The name Vannessa ranked 2189th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.

Narrative: Some authorities claim it was invented by 18th century English writer Jonathan Swift as a pseudonym for Esther Vanhomrigh, based on the first syllable of her last name, and possibly the Latin verb esse, meaning ''to be.''

Swift described his love for her in his poem Cadenus and Vanessa.

In Japanese, some of the characters that represent this sound can be translated to mean innocent