Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Nessa?
Births per year, rank history and how many Nessas are alive today.
Nessa (female) is a shortened form of the name Agnes. Although Nessa itself was given to 17 babies in England and Wales in 2025 (ranked 1719th as a registered name), most Nessas are registered as Agnes, which ranked 509th in 2025 with 79 babies.
Most people called Nessa are registered as Agnes, and share that name's profile: the Agnes you are most likely to meet is around 79 years old - or else around 10: the name has two living generations. Half of all Agneses born in England and Wales are between 48 and 82, and there are at least 12,000 of them alive today. Only some Agneses go by Nessa.
How many babies are named Nessa or Agnes each year?
Combined registrations of Agnes, Nessa. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Agnes rank as a registered name?
Where does Nessa rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Nessa short for Agnes?
Yes - Nessa is a shortened form of Agnes. Nessas are usually registered as Agnes at birth.
When was the name Nessa most popular?
The full name Agnes peaked in 1904, when around 2,300 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Nessa itself peaked as a registered name in 2025, with 17 babies.
How many people are called Nessa?
There's no official count of people who go by Nessa, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 12,000 people registered as Agnes born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Nessa.
How old is the typical Nessa?
Most people called Nessa are registered as Agnes. Most living Agneses are between 48 and 82; the most common age is about 79. There is a second cluster around 10.
Is Nessa becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1904 peak.