Meaning: Its source is Agnes, an English name meaning "Holy."

Languages: This girl's name is used in English and Irish Gaelic.

Nickname For: Vanessa

Nicknames: Nessie

Narrative: Nessa was first used in English as a nickname of Agnes, later becoming a nickname for Vanessa when that name came on the scene. However, Irish Gaelic use of Nessa may well derive from a Gaelic ancestor, Neassa, whose meaning has been lost.