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Vanessa is lovely and I don't have any association with a mean girl. I also don't think you should worry about a name being outdated or not - I don't think it is, but I've never seen it in real life and can think of only 1 fictional character with it

Vanessa has always been a favorite of mine, and I'd seriously consider naming a future daughter as Vanessa! I love how it's used across many different cultural backgrounds, has a long history, and every Vanessa that I've met has been a joy. It also can honor both of my grandmother's names, so that makes it even more special to me. It's feminine, dainty, and it reminds me of flowers, but I can also picture a tomboy named Vanessa as well (the first Vanessa that I met was actually a tomboy!). Olivia is a name that I also appreciate, and it's special, since I have a cousin by the name. However, I feel that it's a little too popular for my taste- it's much more popular than Vanessa has ever been, anyway.

I like both. I enjoy Olivia's green imagery and freshness and Vanessa's dashing spelling and sound, but I opt for Olivia since Vanessa is dated in my country.

Vanessa IS dated for me, but I'm middle aged, so it's a name from my generation. It feels similar to Sabrina and Clarissa and Amanda - technically older names, but inextricably linked with the 80s or 90s. I wonder if the "mean girl" stuff is from a residual memory of The Little Mermaid: Vanessa was the name Ursula used to trick Prince Eric into marrying her.

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Olivia is pretty, but I admit that I find Vanessa more interesting at this point. It has more personality. It does have a hefty dose of soap opera drama queen to it, and I have to support that. The datedness of it actually works in its favour here, gives it more heart and soul than Olivia.

I like Olivia more, but there's nothing wrong with Vanessa.

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ETA: Vanessa ranks 303 in the US as of 2023.

This message was edited 3/4/2025, 9:57 PM

Both names are pretty but I prefer Vanessa. It's lush, feminine, energetic and adventurous.

That’s an interesting pair. I side with Olivia.

This message was edited 3/4/2025, 10:56 AM

I love Vanessa, so tired of Olivia

Even though Olivia is a family name, I'd have no hesitation in choosing Vanessa for its timeless beauty and happy playfulness. As for reminding people of a mean girl ... really? They haven't noticed that mean girls (a) can and do have any name possible, and (b) aren't anyway frequent enough to worry about?

I like the name Vanessa a lot. It's very stylish even if it's not as popular today as it has been. Olivia is spineless and slithery; Vanessa is glamorous and just a bit flashy, but totally familiar.
(In twenty years, probably a lot of people will think Olivia is a mean-girl name.)

At this point of Olivia glut, I support Vanessa!

I feel the opposite. Olivia is popular, it's easier to associate it with mean girl.
Idk if Vanessa is outdated, depends on where you live, but I find it nice that it's less popular.
I think Vanessa is beautiful and sharp.