Origin of the name Vanessa:
An invention of satirist Jonathan Swift (1667 - 1745), Vanessa is a partial anagram of the name of his intimate friend Esther Vanhomrigh. Swift used the name in his Cadenus and Vanessa, which led to its use as a female given name.
From A World of Baby Names by Teresa Norman. Buy the bookDoes Venessa sound...
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Ness, nesssa, v
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