The baby name Nessa is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈnɛsə/ (NESS-uh).
Nessa is Irish in Origin.
The baby name Nessa is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈnɛsə/ (NESS-uh).
Nessa is Irish in Origin.
Nessa spans several traditions. In Irish legend it is the anglicized form of Neasa, the formidable mother of King Conchobar in the Ulster Cycle; scholars debate the etymology, sometimes glossing it as “ungentle.” In English it also functions as a clipped form of Vanessa - the 1713 literary coinage by Jonathan Swift from the elements Van + Essa (a pet of Esther). In Wales and Scotland, Nessa can arise as a pet form of Agnes, alongside Nesta and Ness, and modern Israeli use occasionally favors it for its echo of nes, “miracle.”
Documented in medieval saga, the Irish form gained revivalist appeal in the 19th–20th centuries, while the nickname Nessa has stood on its own in Anglophone registers since the late 20th. Variants and related forms include Neasa/Néasa, Ness, Nessie, Nesta, and Inessa. Meanings therefore range from debated Irish “ungentle” to Hebrew-influenced “miracle.”
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | Girls | 2025 | #1 | — | 874 |
| LU | 0 | #64 | 3 | 2,830 | |
| JM | 0 | #92 | 2 | 3,714 | |
| AF | Girls | 0 | #94 | 1 | 2,402 |
| ID | Girls | 0 | #101 | 2 | 3,319 |
| TW | 0 | #103 | 1 | 4,523 | |
| QA | 0 | #106 | 1 | 7,011 | |
| PH | 0 | #109 | 2 | 5,607 | |
| BN | Girls | 0 | #112 | 3 | 5,459 |
| OM | 0 | #121 | 1 | 6,215 | |
| Switzerland | Girls | 2024 | #134 | 2 | 1,786 |
| MU | 0 | #137 | 1 | 3,613 | |
| BW | Girls | 0 | #151 | 1 | 4,216 |
| MT | Girls | 0 | #153 | 1 | 3,773 |
| CR | 0 | #165 | 1 | 5,526 | |
| SI | Girls | 0 | #170 | 8 | 2,769 |
| Sweden | Girls | 2021 | #182 | 2 | 1,666 |
| LU | Girls | 0 | #186 | 5 | 4,850 |
| Belgium | Girls | 2010 | #189 | 27 | 399 |
| LT | Girls | 0 | #200 | 1 | 1,904 |
| AO | Girls | 0 | #217 | 1 | 4,575 |
| JM | Girls | 0 | #221 | 39 | 7,507 |
| HU | Girls | 0 | #225 | 1 | 3,308 |
| PS | 0 | #225 | 2 | 5,692 | |
| NA | Girls | 0 | #229 | 9 | 7,146 |
| BG | Girls | 0 | #231 | 1 | 3,559 |
| BD | 0 | #241 | 1 | 5,992 | |
| GH | 0 | #247 | 2 | 5,396 | |
| JP | Girls | 0 | #249 | 3 | 6,592 |
| EC | Girls | 0 | #254 | 5 | 3,650 |
| TW | Boys | 0 | #256 | 1 | 7,111 |
| MO | Girls | 0 | #257 | 7 | 7,056 |
| TW | Girls | 0 | #266 | 11 | 8,139 |
| Canada | Girls | 2024 | #270 | 16 | 2,795 |
| NG | 0 | #271 | 2 | 5,926 | |
| SG | 0 | #278 | 5 | 11,010 | |
| IL | 0 | #281 | 2 | 6,291 | |
| HR | Girls | 0 | #294 | 1 | 3,687 |
| GH | Girls | 0 | #300 | 25 | 6,973 |
| PE | 0 | #329 | 1 | 6,350 | |
| QA | Girls | 0 | #335 | 9 | 15,378 |
| MU | Girls | 0 | #338 | 14 | 8,539 |
| France | Girls | 2021 | #342 | 64 | 3,185 |
| CZ | Girls | 0 | #350 | 2 | 5,378 |
| CN | Girls | 0 | #356 | 4 | 8,829 |
| HK | 0 | #356 | 2 | 8,483 | |
| SD | Girls | 0 | #358 | 1 | 7,678 |
| BR | 0 | #360 | 1 | 5,969 | |
| GH | Boys | 0 | #361 | 1 | 8,138 |
| PH | Girls | 0 | #364 | 27 | 13,098 |
| PL | Girls | 0 | #364 | 1 | 5,096 |
| BD | Girls | 0 | #398 | 9 | 8,413 |
| YE | 0 | #398 | 1 | 8,639 | |
| EG | 0 | #412 | 1 | 6,387 | |
| OM | Girls | 0 | #416 | 9 | 15,987 |
| Germany | 0 | #427 | 11 | 2,542 | |
| CL | 0 | #433 | 2 | 6,867 | |
| PT | Girls | 0 | #438 | 14 | 7,952 |
| MX | 0 | #445 | 1 | 8,339 | |
| ZA | 0 | #470 | 5 | 14,421 | |
| KW | Girls | 0 | #500 | 16 | 19,177 |
| CO | 0 | #509 | 2 | 7,768 | |
| PA | Girls | 0 | #515 | 4 | 9,861 |
| RU | Girls | 0 | #516 | 8 | 11,913 |
| UY | Girls | 0 | #536 | 1 | 6,731 |
| IR | Girls | 0 | #539 | 7 | 8,334 |
| AE | Girls | 0 | #543 | 11 | 20,968 |
| CM | Girls | 0 | #554 | 7 | 11,671 |
| LY | 0 | #557 | 3 | 12,703 | |
| CR | Girls | 0 | #567 | 7 | 11,342 |
| SG | Girls | 0 | #574 | 13 | 18,916 |
| BH | 0 | #582 | 6 | 17,937 | |
| HK | Girls | 0 | #592 | 24 | 16,104 |
| AR | Girls | 0 | #627 | 4 | 8,289 |
| Finland | Girls | 2026 | #633 | 106 | 3,895 |
| IN | Girls | 0 | #650 | 5 | 13,121 |
| BO | Girls | 0 | #651 | 1 | 9,488 |
| Germany | Girls | 0 | #688 | 152 | 4,949 |
| LB | 0 | #688 | 3 | 13,263 | |
| NG | Girls | 0 | #748 | 39 | 15,093 |
| SY | 0 | #767 | 1 | 11,684 | |
| KW | Boys | 0 | #806 | 1 | 18,755 |
| TN | 0 | #820 | 10 | 13,765 | |
| CL | Girls | 0 | #841 | 11 | 14,098 |
| United States | Girls | 2024 | #859 | 58 | 8,487 |
| BR | Girls | 0 | #901 | 41 | 12,708 |
| SA | Girls | 0 | #908 | 28 | 25,931 |
| OM | Boys | 0 | #917 | 2 | 17,948 |
| NL | Girls | 0 | #919 | 37 | 5,933 |
| EG | Boys | 0 | #925 | 1 | 15,035 |
| PE | Girls | 0 | #930 | 14 | 14,861 |
| MY | Girls | 0 | #941 | 54 | 24,821 |
| Spain | Girls | 0 | #945 | 39 | 5,561 |
| EG | Girls | 0 | #1,002 | 8 | 14,742 |
| ZA | Girls | 0 | #1,010 | 132 | 25,928 |
| CO | Girls | 0 | #1,060 | 19 | 16,140 |
| MA | 0 | #1,118 | 11 | 20,986 | |
| DZ | 0 | #1,158 | 19 | 20,130 | |
| MX | Girls | 0 | #1,168 | 16 | 17,781 |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,181 | 2 | 25,439 |
| TR | 0 | #1,252 | 3 | 19,440 | |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #1,271 | 2 | 25,619 |
| IT | Girls | 0 | #1,428 | 19 | 9,415 |
| SA | Boys | 0 | #1,688 | 4 | 28,008 |
Nessa is popular in 74 countries — most recent births per country:
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