Opinions on VANESSA please!

[language]

Any negative/positive associations? Apart from Vanessa Redgrave, V. Paradis and V. Bell? What nicknames could be used for this name?

We are looking for a name that works well in English and in French (other names on the list include Alice, Sophie and Julie)

[SingingSands]

Beautiful name! I worked with a Vanessa and she was a really lovely, fun, sweet and kind person so the name has good connotations for me

I can't offer any nicknames, I think Vanessa is too lovely. And I don't get this new-fangled obsession with naming your child and then calling them by a nickname, it makes me roll my eyes!

[Honky]

Funnily enough, I like it as a French name but not as an English one - too sort of seventies suburbia; Valerie, Marjorie etc.

I like your other names though!

[Mintyy]

I really like Vanessa.

Then

Julie
Sophie
Alice

in that order.

[BobbiFleckman]

People tend to shorten it to Nessa / nessie which are not exactly pretty. I like all the others on your list better. Also Emilie with the french spelling.

[smokeandglitter]

I knew a Vanessa who was absolutely lovely, and I always thought she was beautiful too. She got called Nessie, which really suited her. I also knew of a friend of a friend Vanessa who got called nn Annie. It's one of the middle names of Peaches Geldof, I think, but it makes me think of Vanessa Carlton who sang 'A thousand Miles' - one of my fav songs!

[minipie]

I quite like it

V would be a sweet nickname.

Other suggestions: Marissa, Melissa, Clarisse/Clarissa, Carine/Corinne, Eloise.

[rachel1970]

Lovely name that isn't overused these days. Great choice!

[WithACherryOnTop]

Vanessa is lovely.

[Geranium3]

sorry not my fave,doesn't sound either classic or pretty and makes me think of vanessa feltz who can be very annoying and nessa reminds me of ruth jones nessa and all things barry island though love her tv programme,forgotten the name!!
How about vivienne with vivi as nickname?
good luck!

[mrstowers]

Yes same here - Vanessa Feltz and Nessa from Gavin & Stacey!

[Geranium3]

of course gav and stace,thanks mrstowers!
For the "french" touch how about
genevieve
isabel
madeleine
all very beautiful

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

I like it, know an adult one but she's only ever called Vanessa. Ness might be sweet.

[MagdalenaAlec]

Don't like Vanessa at all - it has a slightly chavvy feeling in France and is very 80's.
Alice is my favorite in your list, it is a lot more elegant than Vanessa. I also love the alternative Alix.

Other names working in both languages:
Marine
Chloe
Louise
Sibylle/Sybil
Pauline
Eugenie
Constance
Clemence
Helene
Anna
Annabelle, Annabel
Astrid
Mathilde
Josephine
Ines
Lucie
Arielle
Rose
Charlotte
Gabrielle
Martha
Emilie
Adelaide

[Lannie33]

I know a Vanessa whose mom is French, dad is English. She's a lovely person and v. talented gymnast. Her little sister is Emilie.

I don't think Vanessa is 80's AT ALL or chavvy or any negative connotations whatsoever. It's pretty and not overused.

[sashh]

Vanessa Feltz?

[eurycantha]

I have known three Vanessa s and none of them shortened their names.

[shumway]

My sis is Vanessa and gets called V or Ness or Nessa. I believe it was a name invented by Jonathan Swift for his friend Esther Van Something or other.

[jkklpu]

lovely and less popular than the others

[BestestBrownies]

Vanessa is a beautiful name. I used to wish I was called that as a kid ( there was a Vanessa in my class at school). That or Petra. I have an English friend with French husband who called their daughter Juliette, which IMHO is a lot prettier than Julie, which just makes me think of Ali G....

[JennyPiccolo]

I Think it's a wee bit chavvy. I LOVE Vivienne, dp vetoed it for dd though. Said It reminded him of vyvyan (sp?) from the young ones, which probably would've been fairly accurate for our dd.

[nizlopi]

I know a Vanessa, she is one of the funniest and nicest people I know, so I have positive associations with the name. We sometimes call her V as a nickname. Or I've heard her be called Ness or Nessy