Vanessa (Nessa)

[joia]

Any thoughts on this name please? Is this a dated sort of name, or not, or due a revival? Would be Nessa or Ness for short.

[Vatersay]

I have a Nessa in my family. It's very pretty.

[scatterthenuns]

I know a 24 year old Nessa. Cute, I like it.

[Sausages123]

I must admit I think of Gavin and Stacey however I think Nessie is lovely!

[Sophronia]

Nessa makes me think of Gavin and Stacey too

[MummyPiggy87]

Eik Vanessa Feltz popped into my head straight away, can't stand the women. Shame how idiots ruin names!

[marinacortina]

Lovely name. I had a school friend called Vanessa - nobody ever shortened it. I'm afraid I think Nessie and Nessa are awful.

[joia]

I don't think I'd use Nessie, because of Loch Ness.

I haven't seen Gavin and Stacey but have heard of it, Welsh comedy I think. Is that a negative association? I'd forgotten about Vanessa Feltz, sadly.

[ashesandfire]

I really like Nessa, I never really watched Gavin and Stacey but Nessa makes me think of that TV programme that was on a while ago about the Israeli Palestinian conflict with Maggie Gyllenhaal?
I'm not keen on Vanessa though!

[WankerDeAsalWipe]

I really like it :)

[Finola1step]

Nessa will always make me think of "What's occurring?" Said by Nessa of Gavin and Stacey fame, with a fag hanging out of the corner of her mouth.

Nessie = Loch Ness Monster.

Vanessa is lovely. I would just use that or Ness.

[AtSea1979]

Straight away I wondered if you got it off Emmerdale

[ZenNudist]

No associations here. I like it. It's unusual but not odd. Nessa is a good NN.

[ToGrapefruit]

I really like it. I know a few Vanessa's, all happen to be in their 50's - 60's. I think it's due a revival- kind of stylish and pretty! Like Nessa too. Nessie makes me think of the monster.

[mathanxiety]

I love it.

Nessa is an Irish name in its own right but lovely as a nn for Vanessa too.

[reuset]

Virginia Woolf's sister, Vanessa/Nessa (thinking of new BBC2 prog, Life in Squares).
I like Nessa more.

[SmugairleRoin]

I went to school with a Neasa (like a previous poster said, that's an Irish name) but as you can see it's spelled differently and pronounced like Nas-a (think the space agency) or Nyas-a, depending on dialect.

Much prefer Vanessa, anyway.

[mathanxiety]

That is true -- Nessa is the anglicised version.

Neasa is the original Irish name, pr N(y)assa -- with a trace of Y after the N as it is a slender N. You should only use the middle part of the tongue against the roof of your mouth when saying it. The tip of the tongue, which is always used in English N words and names, is held away from contact with any part of the roof of the mouth for slender Ns in Irish.

[CakeRattleandRoll]

I really like the sound of Vanessa. The only thing that stopped it being on our shortlist for DD was the fact that it is a 'made-up' name, invented by Jonathan Swift for one of his female admirers. I like names to have a meaning behind them, but that is entirely a personal preference.

Nessa is lovely as a nn for Vanessa, and also used as a nn for Agnes. It is also a Cornish name in its own right, meaning 'second'.