"Vanessa is a feminine given name, especially popular in the United States. It was invented by the Anglo-Irish writer Jonathan Swift for Esther Vanhomrigh, whom Swift had met in 1708 and whom he tutored. The name was created by taking "Van" from Vanhomrigh's last name and adding "Essa", a pet form ofEsther.[1] Swift may have also[contradiction] derived the name from that of the ancient mystic goddess Phanessa.[dubious ][citation needed]
Vanessa has been adopted later as the name of a genus of butterfly by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1807."
link to full article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanessa_(name)
Van, Esther = Vanessa! Pretty great history.
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