Quick answer
Vanessa is a girl name.
Pronunciation: English /və.ˈnɛs.ə/; French /va.nɛ.sa/; Italian /va.ˈnes.sa/; European Portuguese /vɐ.ˈnɛ.sɐ/; Brazilian Portuguese /va.ˈne.sɐ/; Spanish /ba.ˈne.sa/; German /va.ˈnɛ.sa/; Dutch /vɑ.ˈnɛ.saː/.
Meaning and history
Invented by author Jonathan Swift for his 1726 poem Cadenus and Vanessa. He arrived at it by rearranging the initial syllables of the first name and surname of Esther Vanhomrigh, his close friend. Vanessa was later used as the name of a genus of butterfly. It was a rare given name until the mid-20th century, at which point it became fairly popular.
Notes and context
Usage: english, french, italian, portuguese, spanish, german, dutch